Everything New in iOS 14.5 Beta 2: New AirPods Max Emoji, Green Tint Fix, iPad Security and More

Apple today introduced the second betas of iOS and iPadOS 14.5, building on the extensive feature set that was introduced in the first betas.

Changes in the second beta are more minor in scale than what we saw in the first beta, but there are still new additions that are worth highlighting. Below, we've rounded up the changes that we've spotted in the second beta.

14

New Emoji Characters

As highlighted by Emojipedia, iOS 14.5 introduces several new emoji characters including heart on fire, mending heart, exhaling face, face with spiral eyes, face in clouds, along with different gender options for people with beards. There are also new couple emojis that have new skin tone mixes.

iOS 4
Apple has removed the blood from the syringe emoji to give it a more neutral look that also works for vaccinations. The Headphone emoji has been updated to look like the AirPods Max rather than a generic set of headphones, and the rock climbing emoji now includes a helmet.

airpods max emoji ios 14 5 emojipedia

Green Tint Fix?

Reports suggest that the second beta of iOS 14.5 may fix the green tint issue that some iPhone owners have been experiencing. Some ‌iPhone‌ 12 models exhibit a gray or green glow, an issue that Apple said it was investigating back in November. For some users, there are improvements, but for others, the issue still appears to exist so it's not entirely clear whether the beta definitively addresses the tint.

iphone 12 green glow

Battery Pack Mention

There's a vague mention of charging an ‌iPhone‌ with a "battery pack" in the iOS 14.5 code under the optimized charging section. It's not clear what Apple is referring to with "battery pack" since existing battery options made by Apple are Smart Battery Case. It's either unusual wording for the case or a hint of a future ‌iPhone‌ 12 battery pack. "To improve charging efficiency and maximize available battery life, the battery pack will keep your phone charged at around 90%," reads the text.

iPad Smart Folio Security

On the 8th-generation iPad, the 4th-generation iPad Air, the 2nd-generation 11-inch iPad Pro, and the 4th-generation 12.9-inch ‌iPad Pro‌, Apple has added a new privacy feature that's designed to mute the built-in microphone whenever the Smart Folio is shut.

This will prevent apps from accessing the microphone when the tablet is not in use, with the feature also working with other MFi smart cases. Apple first introduced this feature in the 2020 ‌iPad Pro‌ models, and is expanding it to additional models.

Shortcuts

There's a new Shortcut action for taking a screenshot that can be incorporated into various shortcuts, plus new actions for locking the orientation of the ‌iPhone‌ and switching between cellular data modes. With the Voice & Data mode action, there are options to select 5G, 5G Auto, and 4G network options.

shortcuts action take screenshot

Apple Music

There are new slide gestures in Apple Music for adding a song to the Now Playing queue or adding it to the ‌Apple Music‌ Library. When long pressing on a song, there are also new options to "Play Last" and "Show Album." In the Library, the download button has been replaced by three dots that can be tapped to access a whole range of options for a song. The actions are the same as the actions that are available when long pressing on a song title anywhere in the Music app.

apple music swipe gestures 14 5 b2
There's also a new "Share Lyrics" feature that lets you send lyrics and song clips to others. Just long press on any lyric when viewing the real-time lyrics of a song to bring up a share interface. This is not available for all songs that support lyrics.

ios 14 5 share lyrics apple music
The feature supports Instagram Stories and iMessage cards. If you send a song lyric using iMessages, the specific part of the song plays in the Messages app.

MagSafe Wallet

When attaching or detaching one of Apple's MagSafe Wallets to an ‌iPhone‌ 12 model, there's a stronger and more noticeable haptic vibration.

magsafe wallet

Software Up to Date Text

The first iOS 14.5 beta tweaked the software update text to say "Your ‌iPhone‌ is up to date with all of the latest bug fixes and security enhancements," but iOS 14.5 beta 2 walks that back. Now it just reads "iOS is up to date," which may be placeholder text for a future change.

App Store Privacy Labels

Apple has tweaked the look of App Store Privacy labels to make them easier to distinguish in Dark Mode.

Code Changes and Smaller Feature Tweaks

There are a handful of changes to the underlying code that don't necessarily reflect new feature implementations at this time, but could potentially serve as an indication of what's coming in the future. There are also a few smaller changes and tweaks that we've included below.

  • For the Find My app, there's new wording for AirTags or future third-party item trackers. "These are items that aren't yours, but have been seen with you for a continuous amount of time."
  • There's a mention of Web Apps accessing speech recognition.
  • There's an Apple Watch Accessibility option for Headphone Notifications, which allows the feature to be toggled off.
  • Apps can ask to connect to your Game Center friends for enhanced multiplayer.

Missing iOS 14.5 Beta 2 Features?

See something we've missed? Let us know in the comments below and we'll add it.

More iOS 14.5 Features

We have a complete list of all of the features that are new to iOS 14.5 in our dedicated iOS 14.5 features guide, which is worth checking out if you want to know what to expect when the software releases to the public in early spring.

Related Forum: iOS 14

Popular Stories

AirPods Pro 3 Mock Feature

AirPods Pro 3 Just Months Away – Here's What We Know

Friday April 18, 2025 5:16 am PDT by
Despite being more than two years old, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 still dominate the premium wireless‑earbud space, thanks to a potent mix of top‑tier audio, class‑leading noise cancellation, and Apple's habit of delivering major new features through software updates. With AirPods Pro 3 widely expected to arrive in 2025, prospective buyers now face a familiar dilemma: snap up the proven...
iphone 17 air dummy unbox therapy

iPhone 17 Air's Extreme Thinness Demoed in New Video

Tuesday April 22, 2025 10:22 am PDT by
Apple plans to release an all-new super thin iPhone this year, debuting it alongside the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max. We've seen pictures of dummy models, cases, and renders with the design, but Lewis Hilsenteger of Unbox Therapy today showed off newer dummy models that give us a better idea of just how thin the "iPhone 17 Air" will be. The iPhone 17 Air is expected to be ...
ipad air windows 11 arm

M2 iPad Air Runs Windows 11 ARM via Emulation, Thanks to EU Rules

Tuesday April 22, 2025 5:01 am PDT by
A developer has demonstrated Windows 11 ARM running on an M2 iPad Air using emulation, which has become much easier since the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA) regulations came into effect. As spotted by Windows Latest, NTDev shared an instance of the emulation on social media and posted a video on YouTube (embedded below) demonstrating it in action. The achievement relies on new EU regulatory...
iOS 18

iOS 18.5 Includes Only a Few Changes So Far

Monday April 21, 2025 11:00 am PDT by
Apple seeded the third beta of iOS 18.5 to developers today, and so far the software update includes only a few minor changes. The changes are in the Mail and Settings apps. In the Mail app, you can now easily turn off contact photos directly within the app, by tapping on the circle with three dots in the top-right corner. In the Settings app, AppleCare+ coverage information is more...
iphone 16 pro models 1

17 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 17

Thursday April 17, 2025 4:12 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you skipped the iPhone...
iphone 17 pro majin bu sky blue

iPhone 17 Pro Allegedly Coming in Sky Blue Color Used for MacBook Air

Tuesday April 22, 2025 4:08 am PDT by
Apple will unveil the iPhone 17 Pro in a new Sky Blue color, the same color that debuted on the latest M4 MacBook Air models Apple released in March. That's according to the leaker Majin Bu. Concept mockup from Majin Bu Writing on his website, Bu claims that "sources close to the supply chain confirm that several iPhone 17 Pro prototypes have been made in various colors, with Sky Blue...
maxresdefault

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 12 New Features

Sunday April 13, 2025 7:52 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and ...

Top Rated Comments

otternonsense Avatar
55 months ago
Why did they have to ruin the headphones emoji with their proprietary Max? It's more like desperate product placement than a nifty detail.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
19callum93 Avatar
55 months ago
Desperately waiting for apple to add cross fading tracks on Apple Music!
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
apparatchik Avatar
55 months ago
"These are items that aren't yours, but have been seen with you for a continuous amount of time." Shouldnt the message add ", You bastard." at the end?
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kirky29 Avatar
55 months ago
I want to be able to search within a music playlist, like on Spotify.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nmcordeiro Avatar
55 months ago
I think/hope that the "battery packs" that it mentions for the iPhone 12 will be a MagSafe accessory. I'm guessing they'll look like the MagSafe wallet but stick to the phone to "keep it charged around 90%" like the article says.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dannyyankou Avatar
55 months ago
These changes are good but I’m still waiting for the ability to create smart playlists, lol
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)