Apple has been working on iOS 14.4 for a bit of time now (slowed by the holiday break), but now the official release is here. Alongside iOS 14.4, we’ve got iPadOS 14.4 ready for the public as well.
Today, Apple launchediOS 14.4andiPadOS 14.4to the public. It isn’t a major software upgrade, but it does add a few noteworthy features to the mix. As is par for the course, the new software is free to download and install for eligible devices. To update, open Settings –> General –> Software Update and follow the onscreen instructions.
As for what’s new, here’s everything in brief.
What’s new in iOS 14.4
Classify Bluetooth devices
iOS 14.4 makes it possible to quickly identify different Bluetooth-enabled and connected devices right from the iPhone. Users can open the Settings app to to classify a Bluetooth device type, so users can identify headphones for audio notifications.
Notifications for a non-genuine Apple camera unit
Apple has offered these sorts of notifications for different elements of its hardware in the past, and now it includes the camera systems. The company will now notify users when the system has identified that non-genuine Apple parts have been used to repair the cameras in the iPhone 12 lineup. The pop-up warning reads, “Unable to verify this iPhone has a genuine Apple camera”.
This feature is available for theiPhone 12 mini,iPhone 12,iPhone 12 Pro, and theiPhone 12 Pro Max.
New HomePod mini features
Apple is adding a little flare to when iPhone 11 series or iPhone 12 series device owners hand-off media from their smartphone to theHomePod mini. This feature is directly associated with U1-enabled smartphones, so, as mentioned just above, only the iPhone 11 lineup and iPhone 12 lineup are supported.
Now, with iOS 14.4 (and the associated 14.4 software for the HomePod mini), the iPhone will start to play a soft, rhythmic Haptic Touch feedback when the phone is near a HomePod mini. As the device is moved closer to the smart speaker, the rhythm will get faster. This should make switching media playback from the iPhone to the HomePod mini a bit more reliable.
Fixing some issues
While iOS 14 and iPadOS 13 are, generally speaking, pretty stable, there are still some issues to fix. The latest software does just that. You can find the official changelog for the latest software below, but, before that, here’s some of what Apple is patching in this latest software:
you’re able to download iOS 14.4 and iPadOS 14.4 now.
iOS 14.4 changelog
iOS 14.4 includes the following improvements for your iPhone:
This release also fixes the following issues:
For information on the security content of Apple software updates, please visit this website:
https://support.apple.com/kb/HT201222
HomePod software 14.4
Along with the features listed above, the HomePod mini has to be updated, too. As such, HomePod software 14.4 is available today as well.
Here’s the official changelog for HomePod 14.4:
What’s new in watchOS 7.3
The Unity watch face
Apple is including a brand new watch face with watchOS 7.3, which the company unveiled todayin a press releasecelebrating Black History Month. The new Unity watch face celebrates the colors of the Pan-African flag. You can see it pictured just above.
ECG in new countries
The ECG feature has been around for a bit now, but there are still areas the feature is not available. That’s changing, slightly, as the ECG feature is expanding to more countries with watchOS 7.3. Now, with the new software, the ECG feature is available in Japan, Thailand, Mayotte, and the Philippines. You’ll need an Apple Watch Series 4 or newer model to take advantage of the feature.
The new software also includes a fix for when Notification Center and Control Center might be unresponsive when Zoom is enabled.
tvOS 14.4 is also available
Apple also released the latest version of tvOS to owners of the fourth- and fifth-generation Apple TV models. The company has released tvOS 14.4 to the public. As far as what’s new, there aren’t any major forward-facing features for the end user discovered in the limited betas.
