iOS 14.5 Beta Reveals Galore of New Features Plus Watch-Assisted Unlock
- The iOS 14.5 is going to finally enable users to unlock their iPhones by using their Apple Watch.
- The device won’t be able to authorize Apple Pay transactions nor auto-fill passwords, though.
- The upcoming mobile OS version will also bring 5G improvements, more app features, and more options.
The first beta of Apple’s iOS 14.5 came out yesterday, and those who like to fiddle with not-ready-yet software report that it’s gonna be a big one. Among the new features that will land with the point release, Apple will make it possible for users of the Watch to unlock their iPhones through it.
This is extremely handy nowadays as people have to wear masks all the time, and removing them for the Face ID is risky and unwanted. Of course, not everyone uses a Watch, but hey, Apple just gave you another reason to buy one.
In regards to clarifications made around the limits of the functionality of this new Apple Watch unlocking feature, Apple Pay transactions and password auto-fill will remain “Face ID-exclusives.” Also, the two devices will have to be in proximity for the unlock to work as intended, and the Apple Watch itself will have to be unlocked.
Finally, both devices will have to run the latest OS version available for the (WatchOS 7.4 and iOS 14.5), and the feature will have to be enabled through iPhone’s settings.
Other notable stuff that’s to land with the iOS 14.5 (and iPadOS 14.5) include the following:
- Support for Dual-SIM 5G
- Support for Standalone 5G Network (no LTE drop-back)
- Support for PS5 DualSense and Xbox Series X controllers/gamepads
- New “Family Sharing” function on the Apple Card
- AirPlay 2 support for the Apple Fitness+ (some limitations will remain in place)
- Siri Emergency Calls
- Further roll-out of the “App Tracking Transparency” system
- User Interface and functionality improvements on the Podcasts app
- More options on the Reminders apps
- A new Search Tab on the Apple News app
- Introduction of Emoji Search system
In addition to the above, there are various smaller changes, options, features, and corrections, as well as code optimizations here and there. However, this release is very different from the iOS 14.4, which was a bug-fixing security update that came out almost as an emergency response to three zero-day flaws that were being actively exploited in the wild.
It goes without saying that you should have already applied that update on all your Apple devices by now. As for the release of the stable iOS 14.5, we expect this to happen before the end of the month.