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Apple today seeded the fifth betas of upcoming iOS 15.4 and iPadOS 15.4 updates to developers for testing purposes, with the new software coming one week after Apple seeded the fourth betas of iOS 15.4 and iPadOS 15.4.

iOS-15.4-Store-General-Feature.jpg

Developers can download iOS 15.4 and iPadOS 15.4 through the Apple Developer Center or over the air after the proper profile has been installed on an iPhone or iPad.

iOS and iPadOS 15.4 introduce some of the most significant changes we've seen in an update since iOS 15 launched. On the iPhone 12 and 13 models, there's now an option to use Face ID while wearing a mask with no Apple Watch required for authentication. It works just like Face ID, but it scans the area around your eyes when you're wearing a mask.

On iPad, iPadOS 15.4 brings the long awaited Universal Control feature. Paired with a Mac running macOS Monterey 12.3, Universal Control allows multiple Macs and iPads to be controlled with a single cursor and keyboard. It's a feature that works seamlessly after installing the updates, and it is simple and intuitive to use.

There are 37 new emojis with the addition of Emoji 14 characters, so you can now use emojis that include melting face, biting lip, heart hands, bubbles, beans, face with diagonal mouth, palm up hand, eggs, troll, low battery, coral, lotus, and more.

The second beta added support for the "Tap to Pay on iPhone" feature that is designed to allow NFC-compatible iPhones to accept payments through Apple Pay, contactless credit and debit cards, and other digital wallets, without requiring additional hardware.

Tap to Pay on iPhone is enabled in the iOS 15.4 beta, but it does require third-party providers to add support, so it is not yet available for use.

In the fourth beta, Apple added a new Siri voice for American users and support for AirTag anti-stalking features announced in February. When setting up an AirTag or a Find My accessory, there is now a warning that the device is locked to an Apple ID and that using it to track someone without consent is a crime.

"You can locate this item using the Find My network," reads the setup screen. "Using this item to track people without their consent is a crime in many regions around the world. This item is designed to be detected by victims and to enable law enforcement to request identifying information about the owner."

There are also signs that Apple may be planning to roll out support for digital IDs and driver's licenses in iOS 15.4. There isn't a ton of evidence for this at the current time, but there was a mention of the feature in the PassKit code in beta 2. "Find out when your driver's license or state ID is ready to use and get important updates about your ID," it reads.

Other new features include full 120Hz ProMotion support for app animations on iPhone 13 Pro models, EU vaccine certificates in the Wallet app, the ability to turn off notifications for Shortcuts automations, keyboard brightness controls in Control Center on the iPad, an Apple Card widget, iCloud Keychain notes, support for adding custom email domains to iCloud Mail right on device, and a SharePlay option in the share sheet.

We have a full list of all of the features introduced in iOS 15.4 and iPadOS 15.4 in our dedicated guide highlighting everything new in the update.

Article Link: Apple Seeds Fifth Betas of iOS 15.4 and iPadOS 15.4 to Developers [Update: Public Beta Available]
 
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I was was waiting for the invite ?. Maybe it got postponed/cancelled because of the current state of world?
 
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Think we need to stop listening to Mark Gurman for event dates…he got last year’s event date wrong too. Disappointed as hell that it looks like we’re not getting an event next week. Desperately want to upgrade my Mac mini. Damn.
 
iOS/iPadOS 15.4 beta 5 (19E5241a)

Authentication​

Known Issues​

  • Signing in to an iPad is limited to apps in this beta.

Health App​

Known Issues​

  • The Health app crashes when you attempt to onboard the Blood Oxygen feature from within the app. (87617635)
  • If Health sharing is skipped when setting up an Apple Watch for a family member, it can’t be enabled later. (87210981)

Home​

Known Issues​

  • Pairing of Thread accessories isn’t supported. (87959565)
  • Matter accessories with multiple end points might be unreachable in the Home App. (86170578)
  • Matter accessories may go to a “No Response” state after pairing with the Home App. (86497690)
    Workaround: Remove the accessory from Home, reset the accessory, and add it back to Home. If the issue persists, remove your home hub from Home and re-add it. If the issue continues to persist, remove the home hub and create a new one.
  • Adding a Matter accessory to a third-party app fails if an Apple Home doesn’t exist. (80341813)
    Workaround: Launch the Home App and create a home hub first.

iTunes​

Known Issues​

  • Purchasing or downloading content again from the iTunes Store and TV app might fail on some devices. (86772291)
    Workaround: Rebooting the device may resolve the issue.

Messages​

Known Issues​

  • A conversation transcript won’t scroll after viewing a photo in QuickLook. (87855403)
    Workaround: Back out of the conversation and then reopen it to restore scrolling.

Phone​

Known Issues​

  • Emergency SOS “Call with 5 Presses” is disabled for all users outside of India to fix an issue that caused this setting to unintentionally default for some users. (86189447)

Settings​

Known Issues​

  • In the Throughput Test results, the Idle Ping Latency is reported in incorrect units. For example, an actual ping latency of 123.32 ms is shown as 0.12 ms. (87599982)

StoreKit​

Known Issues​

 
This fantasy is over, no need to discuss it in all threads.
It’s not really a fantasy, it’s pretty clear that:
A: Apple will be holding some sort of press conference/event within the next month or so.
B: That event could take place on March 8, with invitations going out anytime between right now and March 7.
C: it could also be on any other business day within this month or next month, with Tuesdays being the most likely day of the event.
 
Passkey Website Sign-in

Apple says that the iOS 15.4 and iPadOS 15.4 betas add a new passkey feature that allows users to sign into passkey-compatible websites and apps on Mac and iPad using an iPhone with a saved passkey.

That means that on websites that allow for authentication via Face ID or Touch ID, you can authenticate with an iPhone instead of having to enter a password.

Is this a mistake? Why would you need an iPhone in addition to your iPad or Mac (with Touch ID) to use a Passkey in iCloud Keychain?

Surely you’d only need a second device for a Mac without Touch ID.
 
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Reactions: Realityck
Hey everyone, I would like to update to iPadOS 15.4 but I have heard that it drains the battery on iPad Pro 11”. I’m fine on 15.3 but if anyone can share their battery performance on 15.4 I would appreciate it. Thank you.
 
I've been checking other non-Apple sites now but not finding the direct link for IPSW... Anyone who has the link for iPhone 7 Plus GSM?

EDIT: Took several hours but finally I found the direct links for IPSW
 
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  • Wow
Reactions: Babygotfont
On the Files App, has it been able to do "Grouping" (i.e., Group by Kind/Date/Size) in the past versions or is that new in this beta?
 
  • Like
Reactions: nortonandreev
It’s not really a fantasy, it’s pretty clear that:
A: Apple will be holding some sort of press conference/event within the next month or so.
B: That event could take place on March 8, with invitations going out anytime between right now and March 7.
C: it could also be on any other business day within this month or next month, with Tuesdays being the most likely day of the event.
It could be that it was scheduled for March 8, but that they postponed it due to the war in Ukraine.
 
  • Haha
Reactions: Babygotfont
Sooo, Covid has almost left the building, over here there is no need for QR codes any longer so Apple updates iOS to be able to hold your certificate?! ?
Bit late to the party, Tim ;-)
 
Hey everyone, I would like to update to iPadOS 15.4 but I have heard that it drains the battery on iPad Pro 11”. I’m fine on 15.3 but if anyone can share their battery performance on 15.4 I would appreciate it. Thank you.

Every update drains the battery in the first days, depending on the amount of data that is on the device. It seems that iOS is doing some (re)indexing and cleaning up in the background after each update, and it sometimes take hours or even days. 15.4 probably will drain the battery about the same as 15.3 or a bit more.

I'd rather like 15.4 to be way more responsive. On my iPhone 15.3.1 is often slow or even freezes the device on crusial moments. Camera app often freezes on moments I'd like to take a picture. After it finally made one, its displayed 10-30 seconds later. In video mode freezes happen too, causing gaps in records.
And it happens on all other apps too... the Music app often the UI doesn't react. Playback starts slow, even when the content is already on the phone.
A hard reset sometimes helps, but in the course of a week it slows down again. Almost like a memory leak problem.
 
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