MacRumors

Apple today seeded the second beta of an upcoming watchOS 7.4 update to public beta testers, with the new beta coming two weeks after the first public beta and a day after the release of the second developer beta.

The ‌watchOS 7‌.4 update can be downloaded after upgrading your iPhone to the public beta version of iOS 14.5. After installing iOS 14.5, the watchOS 7.4 software should show up, as long as you have the proper profile from Apple's beta software website. To update to the new software, the ‌Apple Watch‌ needs to have 50 percent battery life, it must be placed on the charger, and it must be in range of the ‌‌‌‌‌‌‌iPhone‌‌‌‌‌‌‌.

Alongside iOS 14.5, watchOS 7.4 introduces a new "Unlock with Apple Watch" feature that lets an ‌iPhone‌ with Face ID use an unlocked and authenticated Apple Watch as a secondary authentication measure when you're wearing a mask, alleviating the need to enter a passcode to unlock the ‌iPhone‌.

‌Face ID‌ does not work when wearing a mask, but this new Apple Watch feature provides an easy but still secure way to access the ‌iPhone‌ without the hassle of a passcode. It's similar to the Apple Watch unlocking on Mac and can be enabled in the Settings app under ‌Face ID‌ & Passcode.

An unlocked Apple Watch paired with ‌Face ID‌ can unlock the ‌iPhone‌ when a mask is worn, but it's only for mask usage. The Apple Watch cannot be used to authenticate Apple Pay or App Store purchases, nor can it be used to unlock apps that require a ‌Face ID‌ scan. In these situations, the mask will need to be removed or a passcode/password will need to be used instead.

When the Apple Watch unlocks the ‌iPhone‌, you'll feel a haptic tap on the wrist and will receive a notification on the watch, similar to how it works when using the watch to unlock a Mac.

For those who use Apple Fitness+, the watchOS 7.4 update combined with iOS 14.5 and iPadOS 14.5 enables AirPlay 2 for Apple Fitness+, so workouts can be streamed to an ‌AirPlay‌ 2-enabled TV or set-top box. Apple Watch metrics do not show up on the screen when AirPlayed, however, and that feature is limited to ‌iPhone‌/iPad/Apple TV.

watchOS 7.4 is going to be available in a beta capacity for several weeks, with Apple planning to release the update in the early spring.

Utah will officially launch a COVID-19 contact tracing system based on Apple and Google's exposure notification API on Wednesday, according to a press release by the State's health department.

The system will utilize Apple and Google's exposure notification system, which notifies users with the feature enabled if they've come in contact with an individual who has tested positive for COVID-19. Utah is notably one of the few states that initially rejected using the system, and instead opted to use its own system based on less accurate and private GPS and Bluetooth tracking.

Utah's director for the Department of Health Center for Health and Informatics says that contact tracing will enable the state to better manage the pandemic and the outbreak of the virus.

"Contact tracing is an important part of how public health responds and stops disease outbreaks. People who have been in close contact with someone who has COVID-19 are more at risk of getting infected and making others sick,"

Unlike other states which are offering standalone apps, Utah's approach will work without an app and only require{s} users with the latest version of iOS and Android to enable exposure notification within the settings app. In practice, when two individuals with the system enabled come in "close proximity" to one another, they exchange "anonymized 'tokens' that log that close interaction for 14 days."

If someone logs a positive test result for COVID-19 into the system, other individuals who were logged to have come in close contact with them within the last 14 days are alerted to get tested and go into self-quarantine. The system will officially launch on Wednesday, February 17, and Utah residents will receive notification alerts over the course of the week encouraging them to enable the system.

Apple on Tuesday released the second betas of iOS and iPadOS 14.5 to developers, and while there were some new additions worth highlighting, most of the more notable features were thought to be already available in the first set of betas.

However, developer Federico Viticci today discovered another neat new feature not seen in previous versions of iOS 14.5: Apple Music subscribers can now share lyrics as text as well as audio clips containing the sung lyrics.

While viewing the real-time lyrics of a playing song, it's possible to long press individual lines and share them via the Actions menu, which includes support for Instagram Stories.

According to Viticci, if users opt to share over iMessage, an ‌Apple Music‌ card appears in the conversation, and will even allow the recipient to play that specific part of the song in Messages via a playback button.

It's also possible to select up to five lines of lyrics from a specialized share screen, enabling users to create longer cards for use in Instagram Stories and iMessage.

Previously, changes in ‌Apple Music‌ in the second iOS 14.5 beta were only thought to include some additional interface gestures for playing and queuing songs, along with some minor cosmetic tweaks.

For all the other changes that have been spotted in the first and second betas of iOS 14.5, be sure to check our dedicated roundup.

Apple was easily the largest buyer of semiconductor chips in 2020, according to the latest data collected by Gartner. Apple spent $53.6 billion and took 11.9% of the global market share, representing 24% growth year-on-year, while Samsung was the second biggest buyer, spending $36.4 billion and taking 8.1% of the market, representing 20.4% growth year-on-year.

Together, the two companies consumed over $90 billion of the chips in 2020, a $16.6 billion total increase compared to 2019, making up 20 percent of the worldwide market.

Apple retained its position as the No. 1 global semiconductor customer in 2020, thanks mainly to the continued success of AirPods, special demand for Mac computers and iPads, and increasing NAND flash consumption. "Increasing demand for mobile PCs and tablets due to working from home significantly drove the production of Macs and iPads through 2020," said Masatsune Yamaji, research director at Gartner. "The company also began its transition to Apple silicon for its Mac product line in the second half of 2020."

The top 10 companies in 2020 remained the same as in 2019, but increased their semiconductor spend by 10% in 2020, and accounted for 42% of the total market, up from 40.9% in 2019. Samsung benefited from a big reduction in spending by Huawei, which remained in third position, despite being down 23.5% from 2019.

"The U.S. government increased trade restrictions on Huawei in 2020, limiting its ability to purchase semiconductors, which, in turn, limited its smartphone supply and reduced its market share. However, the Chinese market remains important for semiconductor vendors, as other Chinese smartphone OEMs stepped in to fill the vacuum created by Huawei in the second half of 2020," said Yamaji.

Among the top 10 companies, Xiaomi increased its spending the most (26%) in 2020, having been minimally impacted by the global health crisis thanks to its mainly online-driven sales model. Sanctions on Huawei also enabled Xiaomi to gain more market share in the smartphone market.

Epic Games has filed an antitrust complaint against Apple in the European Union, broadening its legal battle against the tech giant by attempting to appeal to the EU's differing interpretation of antitrust issues compared to those in the United States (via The Wall Street Journal).

Last September, ‌Epic Games‌‌‌ added a Fortnite update that allowed customers to purchase in-game currency directly from ‌Epic, skirting Apple's in-app purchases. That is against Apple's rules, and the move led Apple to pull the app from the App Store, which Epic clearly anticipated, as it wasted no time in taking Apple to court and releasing an anti-Apple marketing campaign simultaneously.

In August, Apple followed through with a threat to terminate ‌‌‌Epic Games‌‌‌' developer account and countersued Epic in October, claiming breach of contract. Last year, Google pulled Fortnite from the Google Play Store for the same reason – introducing a payment system that bypasses the standard app store policy that sees the hosting platform take a 30% share of in-app purchases.

Epic's legal complaint against Apple in the EU joins plaintiffs including Spotify that have prompted a formal investigation by the European Commission into Apple's alleged anticompetitive behavior.

"What's at stake here is the very future of mobile platforms," said Epic founder and Chief Executive Officer Tim Sweeney. "We will not stand idly by and allow Apple to use its platform dominance to control what should be a level digital playing field."

Sweeney said that while the legal case filed in Europe targets Apple, "the broad outlines… are equally applicable to Google, though the timing may be different."

Europe uses different standards than the U.S. when it comes to antitrust issues, focusing more on fairness between competitors than their impact on consumers, which the U.S tends to focus on. Epic has also filed similar lawsuits in Australia and the U.K., accusing Apple of an abuse of dominance.

The European Commission has yet to comment on Epic's complaint, which remains confidential. However, the Commission's ongoing investigation, launched last year, into how Apple Pay is the only contactless payment service allowed on iOS devices, may factor into its considerations of Epic's argument that Apple's operating system should be open to competing stores.

The Mechanical Licensing Collective today announced (via Variety) that Apple and other digital service providers have paid a total of $424,384,787 in historical unmatched royalty fees.

Of that total, Apple paid $163,338,890 which was the highest fee paid out. Spotify paid $152,226,039, which marked the second highest payment. After that, Amazon paid $42,741,507, and Google paid $32,855,222. Other streaming services like Pandora, iHeart Media, SoundCloud, and Deezer paid smaller amounts.

The Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC) that collected the funding is a nonprofit organization that was created in 2019 by the Music Modernization Act and designated by the U.S. Copyright office.

Starting in January 2021, the MLC began providing blanket licenses to eligible streaming and download services in the United States. It collects royalties due under those licenses and then pays them out to songwriters, music publishers, and others to make sure creators are receiving the proper funds for their work. Prior to now, song-by-song licensing was used, making it difficult for streaming services to deliver the proper royalties to all those involved in a song's creation.

The back fees that were paid by streaming companies in January and February are related to the Music Modernization Act's limitation on liability for past infringement. Songwriters, music publishers, composers, and others have long struggled to be paid by streaming music services, which the MLC is meant to address. Music streaming providers also sent data linking royalties to creators, and the MLC's job will be to review and analyze the data provided by the streaming music companies to find and pay the proper copyright holders.

Songwriters, composers, music publishers, and others will be able to register with the MLC to receive the payments that they're owed. The MLC will begin sending out payments in April.

A total of 20 DSPs separately transferred accrued historical unmatched royalties to The MLC as required in order for them to seek the MMA's limitation on liability for past infringement. In addition to the accrued unmatched royalties transferred to The MLC, the DSPs concerned also delivered more than 1,800 data files, which contain in excess of 1.3 terabytes and nine billion lines of data.

The transfer of these monies represents the culmination of a months-long effort on the part of The MLC and these DSPs to develop and implement the specifications for these usage reports. With these historical unmatched royalties and usage reports now in hand, The MLC can begin the process of reviewing and analyzing the data in order to find and pay the proper copyright owners.

Going forward, music providers like Apple are required to send the MLC monthly usage data on streaming content along with the corresponding royalties, which the MLC will dole out. For unmatched royalties, the MLC maintains a database that creators can search to see if they're due missing money.

Apple today informed developers that "health pass" apps can only be submitted by developers that are working with recognized public health authorities.

A "health pass" app is classified as an app that generates a pass that's used to enter buildings and access in-person services based on testing and vaccination records.

Apple says that to make sure these apps are responsibly handling sensitive data and providing reliable functionality, they're being limited to developers work with test kit manufacturers, laboratories, and healthcare providers.

With the recent release of COVID-19 vaccines, we've seen an increase in apps that generate health passes used to enter buildings and access in-person services based on testing and vaccination records. To ensure these apps responsibly handle sensitive data and provide reliable functionality, they must be submitted by developers working with entities recognized by public health authorities, such as test kit manufacturers, laboratories, or healthcare providers. As with other apps related to COVID-19, we also accept apps submitted directly by government, medical, and other credentialed institutions.

Apple has been restricting COVID 19-related apps since March. Apps providing data on COVID must be submitted by developers working with recognized entities such as government organizations, health-focused NGOs, companies deeply credentialed in health issues, and medical or educational institutions. Apple does not allow COVID 19-themed entertainment or game apps, nor any other app not submitted by a qualified developer.

Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Apple today informed Apple Authorized Service Providers that it will be introducing a new same-unit repair method for iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 12 models exhibiting certain issues that would typically require a whole-unit replacement.

In an internal memo, obtained by MacRumors, Apple said technicians will be able to offer same-unit repairs starting February 23 for iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 12 models that are unable to be powered on or are experiencing issues with the logic board, Face ID system, or the enclosure of the device, such as cracked rear glass.

Apple Authorized Service Providers (and likely Genius Bars) will have a new "iPhone Rear System" part available to them that consists of the rear enclosure of an iPhone with all components except the display and rear camera, including the battery, logic board, wireless charging coil, Taptic Engine, Face ID system, and so forth.

If a customer has an iPhone 12 mini with cracked rear glass, for example, technicians will be able to replace the entire rear portion of the device, with the new enclosure affixed to the original display and rear camera. For this reason, the customer's display and rear camera must be free of damage or functional failures in order for their device to qualify for this same-unit repair method, according to Apple.

The new repair method will be available in all countries and regions where the iPhone 12 mini and iPhone 12 are sold, according to Apple. iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max models do not appear to be eligible at this time.

In its memo, Apple said this move supports the company's ongoing commitment to reducing the carbon footprint of every product it sells.

The North Dakota Senate today voted no on a new bill that would have paved the way for third-party app store options by preventing Apple from requiring developers to use its App Store and in-app purchase methods for apps.

According to the North Dakota government website, the SB2333 bill failed 11 to 36, which is good news for Apple.

Apple Chief Privacy Engineer Erik Neuenschwander last week spoke out against the bill, saying that it "threatens to destroy the iPhone as you know it" by requiring changes that would "undermine the privacy, security, safety, and performance" of the ‌‌iPhone‌‌.

North Dakota Senator Kyle Davison, who introduced the bill, said that it was designed to "level the playing field" for app developers in North Dakota and shield customers from "devastating, monopolistic fees imposed by big tech companies" like Apple and Google.

The bill would have prevented Apple from requiring a developer to use a digital application distribution platform as the exclusive mode of distributing a digital product, and it would have kept the company from requiring developers to use in-app purchases as the exclusive mode of accepting payment from a user.

Lobbyist Lacee Byork Anderson, who was funded by the Coalition for App Fairness drafted the initial legislation. The Coalition for App Fairness is a collaborative organization created by companies like Epic Games, Spotify, Basecamp and Tile to highlight developer issues with Apple.

It was backed by Basecamp co-founder David Heinemeier Hansson, who was embroiled in a legal fight with Apple over email app "HEY" last year. Heinemeier Hansson praised the bill and said that it gave him hope that "tech monopolies aren't going to rule the world forever."

Back in December, Parallels released a Parallels Desktop 16 for M1 Macs Technical Preview Program, which is designed to allow Parallels to run Windows on ‌M1‌ Macs.

Parallels today released a second Technical Preview, introducing new features and various improvements to the software for a better usage experience. The update adds support for suspending and resuming a virtual machine, improves stability, and more, with the full feature list below.

New features
- Added support for suspending and resuming a virtual machine.
- Support for installing Parallels Tools in the following Linux distributives: Ubuntu 20.04 or later, Debian 10.7 or later, and Fedora Workstation 33-1.2 or later.
- Compatible Linux installation images are now automatically detected in the Installation Assistant.

Improvements
- Improved overall stability.
- Resolved the issue with ARM-based Linux ISO images being recognized as Intel-based ones.
- Resolved the issue with missing sound when a virtual machine is created from a VHDX image.
- Resolved the issue with not being able to select an ISO image as an installation source when VHDX is specified in the drop-down menu.

Known issues
- During the Parallels Tools update, the virtual machine's screen may freeze for several minutes, please simply wait.

The Parallels software can run Windows using Microsoft's Arm-based version that's available through the Windows Insider program, but there's no publicly available version of Arm Windows that can be purchased.

There are also several limitations to the software. It is not possible to install or start an Intel x86 based operating system in a virtual machine, and ARM32 applications do not work.

Current release versions of Parallels are not able to run on ‌M1‌ Macs, so ‌M1‌ Mac owners who want to use the software will need to participate in the Technical Preview program.

Throwboy, known for its line of pillows modeled after classic Apple devices, recently launched a new series of Mac-themed throw blankets.

The 1984 Throw Blanket is modeled after the first Macintosh that Apple released in 1984. Made from beige fabric that accurately matches the color of the original Macintosh, it features a black screen, a disk drive, and a rainbow logo.

With all of the details included, it is unmistakable as a classic Macintosh, making it a fun addition to any Apple fan's room. To go along with the 1984 blanket, Throwboy also has the Icon Throw Blanket, modeled after the original Mac Finder icon with a two-tone design and a smile.

There's also a cassette tape blanket that looks like a vintage cassette tape, but that one isn't Mac related.

Each throw blanket from Throwboy is priced at $46.99 and measures in at 50 inches by 60 inches. They're made from 100 percent polyester sherpa fleece with a print on one side and plush fabric on the back.

The Icon and 1984 Throw Blankets can be purchased from the Throwboy website.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Apple today began offering special app discounts and perks to Apple Card holders, a feature that appears to be new to the service. There are several Fitness-focused apps that are available at discounted prices or with an extended free trial for ‌Apple Card‌ users.

Apple is offering an extended 60-day free trial for the Strava app, 40 percent off an annual subscription for Ten Percent Happier, 50 percent off an annual subscription for Sleep Cycle, and 50 percent off an annual Lifesum subscription.

All of these deals are exclusive to ‌Apple Card‌ holders and can be redeemed using links that are provided in the emails that are going out to ‌Apple Card‌ users.

Apple has offered a similar one-time discount for Panera Bread in the past, but the wording of the email suggests that going forward, Apple may be providing new offers on a monthly basis.

The email also highlights ‌Apple Card‌ Monthly Installment payments for Apple Watch and extra trade-in savings that are available at the current time as part of Heart Month.

According to Apple's release notes for the second betas of iOS and iPadOS 14.5 that were released this morning, the update introduces a new privacy feature that's aimed at limiting microphone access on the iPad with a Smart Folio.

On the ‌iPad‌ (8th generation), iPad Air (4th generation), iPad Pro 11-inch (2nd generation), and ‌iPad Pro‌ 12.9-inch (4th generation), when the Smart Folio is closed, the built-in microphone will mute, but developers have an option to build their apps to opt out.

iPad (8th generation), iPad Air (4th generation), iPad Pro 11-inch (2nd generation), and iPad Pro 12.9-inch (4th generation) now mute the built-in microphone when its Smart Folio is closed. To avoid unnecessarily recording the muted signal, the default behavior is to interrupt an audio session that is using the built-in microphone when the Smart Folio is closed. You can opt out of the interruption using the new AVAudioSession.CategoryOptions overrideMutedMicrophoneInterruption, allowing the audio session to continue playing uninterrupted while microphone input is muted. For more information, see Responding to Audio Session Interruptions.

The release notes suggest that several bugs that were in the prior beta have also been addressed. Siri can share ETAs again in CarPlay, and vehicles can start ‌CarPlay‌ if the iPhone is set to share contacts. Locations from Maps can be shared to Notes and Reminders, plus there are several other smaller fixes and tweaks.

There are also a few known issues in the betas. The 11-inch ‌iPad Pro‌ and the 12.9-inch ‌iPad Pro‌ are unable to connect to external displays using the USB-C Digital AV Multiport Adapter.

Today's betas may also have outward-facing changes that are not mentioned in the release notes, and if we find new features, we'll highlight them in a separate article.

Apple today seeded the second betas of upcoming iOS 14.5 and iPadOS 14.5 updates to developers for testing purposes, with the new beta updates coming two weeks Apple released the first iOS and iPadOS 14.5 betas.

iOS and iPadOS 14.5 can be downloaded through the Apple Developer Center or over the air after the proper profile has been installed on an iPhone or iPad.

iOS 14.5 is the biggest update to iOS 14 to date, introducing several significant new features. First and foremost, Apple is making it easier to unlock an iPhone when you're wearing a face mask with a new "Unlock with Apple Watch" feature.

This opt-in option lets you use an unlocked and authenticated Apple Watch as a secondary authentication method to unlock an ‌iPhone‌ alongside Face ID. With this feature, you no longer have to enter a passcode or remove your mask to unlock your ‌iPhone‌. Both an ‌iPhone‌ running iOS 14.5 and an Apple Watch are required to use this, and the Apple Watch cannot authenticate Apple Pay purchases, App Store purchases, or unlock third-party apps that use ‌Face ID‌.

The update also brings worldwide support for 5G in Dual-SIM mode on ‌iPhone‌ 12 models, so if you use multiple lines, both can now connect at 5G speeds. Prior to now, Dual-SIM mode was limited to LTE networks.

With watchOS 7.4, iOS and iPadOS 14.5 include AirPlay 2 support for Apple Fitness+, so Apple Fitness+ subscribers can start a workout on an ‌iPhone‌ or iPAd and then AirPlay it to a compatible smart TV or set-top box. ‌AirPlay‌ 2 supports audio and video, but it does not display on-screen workout metrics.

PlayStation 5 DualSense and Xbox Series X controllers are supported on the ‌iPhone‌ and the ‌iPad‌ with iOS 14.5, and code suggests that Apple is going to add joint account support for the Apple Card in the near future.

iOS 14.5 includes a Waze-like crowdsourcing feature for reporting accidents, hazards, and speed checks along a route in Maps when getting directions.

There's a new "Report" button available in the Apple Maps app that lets you tap to report an accident, hazard, or speed trap at your location in the ‌Apple Maps‌ app, which is a feature that mapping app Waze offers for crowdsourcing accidents and other info. This is available directly on the ‌iPhone‌ and in CarPlay.

iOS and iPadOS 14.5 add a new feature for choosing a default streaming music service to use with Siri. So if you prefer Spotify over Apple Music, for example, you can now choose Spotify as the default app to use with ‌Siri‌ and all ‌Siri‌ song requests will go through Spotify without the need to add "on Spotify" to the end of ‌Siri‌ requests.

iOS 14.5 is the update where Apple will begin requiring developers to comply with its App Tracking Transparency rules. Going forward, developers will need to ask for and receive your permission to access your random advertising identifier and track your activity across apps and websites.

Apple has made design tweaks to the Apple News and Podcasts apps, plus there are new print and sort options in Reminders. There are new settings for emergency alerts, a horizontal loading screen on the ‌iPad‌, and tons of other smaller feature tweaks that are outlined in our full iOS 14.5 features guide.

Apple today seeded the second beta of an upcoming watchOS 7.4 update to developers for testing purposes, with the new beta coming two weeks after the release of the first beta and three weeks after the launch of watchOS 7.3 with "Time to Walk" functionality, expanded ECG availability, and a new Unity watch face.

To install the ‌watchOS 7.4 beta, developers need to download the proper configuration profile from the Apple Developer Center. Once the profile is in place, the watchOS 7.4 beta can be downloaded through the dedicated ‌Apple Watch‌ app on the iPhone by going to General > Software Update.

To update to the new software, the ‌Apple Watch‌ needs to have 50 percent battery life, it must be placed on the charger, and it must be in range of the ‌‌‌‌‌‌‌iPhone‌‌‌‌‌‌‌.

Alongside iOS 14.5, watchOS 7.4 introduces a new "Unlock with Apple Watch" feature that lets an ‌iPhone‌ with Face ID use an unlocked and authenticated Apple Watch as a secondary authentication measure when you're wearing a mask, alleviating the need to enter a passcode to unlock the ‌iPhone‌.

‌Face ID‌ does not work when wearing a mask, but this new Apple Watch feature provides an easy but still secure way to access the ‌iPhone‌ without the hassle of a passcode. It's similar to the Apple Watch unlocking on Mac and can be enabled in the Settings app under ‌Face ID‌ & Passcode.

An unlocked Apple Watch paired with ‌Face ID‌ can unlock the ‌iPhone‌ when a mask is worn, but it's only for mask usage. The Apple Watch cannot be used to authenticate Apple Pay or App Store purchases, nor can it be used to unlock apps that require a ‌Face ID‌ scan. In these situations, the mask will need to be removed or a passcode/password will need to be used instead.

When the Apple Watch unlocks the ‌iPhone‌, you'll feel a haptic tap on the wrist and will receive a notification on the watch, similar to how it works when using the watch to unlock a Mac.

For those who use Apple Fitness+, the watchOS 7.4 update combined with iOS 14.5 and iPadOS 14.5 enables AirPlay 2 for Apple Fitness+, so workouts can be streamed to an ‌AirPlay‌ 2-enabled TV or set-top box. Apple Watch metrics do not show up on the screen when AirPlayed, however, and that feature is limited to ‌iPhone‌/iPad/Apple TV.

watchOS 7.4 is going to be available in a beta capacity for several weeks, with Apple planning to release the update in the early spring.

Apple today seeded the second beta of an upcoming tvOS 14.5 update to developers for testing purposes, with the new beta software coming two weeks after Apple released the first tvOS 14.5 beta.

Designed for the fourth and fifth-generation Apple TV, the tvOS 14.5 developer beta can be downloaded onto the ‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌Apple TV‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌ via a profile that's installed using Xcode.

tvOS 14.5 brings support for the latest PlayStation 5 DualSense and Xbox Series X controllers, which can be used to play games from the tvOS App Store and Apple Arcade.

Support for the new controllers has also been included in iOS 14.5 and iPadOS 14.5, so the latest gaming controller options from Sony and Microsoft are now compatible with Apple's product lineup.

We don't yet know if there's anything else included in tvOS 14.5 in terms of features because tvOS updates are often minor in scale, but the release of tvOS will see Apple begin enforcing its new App Tracking Transparency rules, with developers now required to ask for and receive a user's permission to access their random advertising identifier (known as the IDFA) to track user activity across apps and websites for ad customization purposes.

Going forward, when an app wants to access a person's advertising identifier on tvOS, users will have a prompt with options to "Allow Tracking" or "Ask App Not to Track." Selecting "Ask App Not to Track" will prevent the app's developer from accessing the user's IDFA, and developers will also have to respect the user's tracking preference and refrain from using other invasive cross-app tracking methods.

The main tvOS 14 update released in September brought expanded Picture in Picture support, new HomeKit integration with HomeKit Secure Video cameras, support for multiple ‌Apple Arcade‌ profiles, and more, with details available in our tvOS 14 roundup.

If you've logged into the App Store this morning and have noticed that there's no update button next to apps that you want to update, you're not alone.

There appears to be an ‌App Store‌ bug that is preventing the "Update" button that's normally displayed alongside apps from being visible, preventing apps from being updated one by one.

The update button bug seems to come and go, and not all users may be seeing it. Those that are will not see the individual update buttons when viewing app updates under their profiles in the ‌App Store‌.

If you want to update your apps, the "Update All" button remains available and functional, and you can also tap over to any app's ‌App Store‌ description page to install an update.