Apple released the first beta of iOS 15.4, iPadOS 15.4 and more for registered developers on Thursday evening. We summarize all the new features below.
iOS 15.4 is the biggest update on iOS 15 and includes Universal Control, Face ID with a mask, new emojis, and more. Let's go.
"Face ID with a mask"
With iOS 15.4, you now have the option to unlock your iPhone while wearing a mask. Apple warns that full face recognition is the safer option. Still, anyone who wants to use face recognition with a mask will be able to do so in the future. Face ID with a mask can be enabled after updating to iOS 15.4 and uses the eye area for authentication. It works with glasses but not sunglasses. "Face ID with a mask" seems to be limited to the iPhone 12 and newer, however. Will that change? We'll wait and see.
Universal Control
iPadOS 15.4 and macOS Monterey 12.3 enable the long-awaited Universal Control feature, which lets you control all iPads and Macs signed in to your iCloud account with a single mouse pointer and keyboard. Universal Control is super easy to use and is enabled by default once you upgrade to iPadOS 15.4 and macOS Monterey 12.3. For example, if you have a MacBook and an iPad, you can use the MacBook's trackpad and keyboard directly on the iPad's display.
emojis
iOS spring updates often bring new emoji. The new beta introduces support for Emoji 14 and adds 37 emoji and 75 new skin tones, for a total of 112 new characters. New faces include the melting face, greeting face, face with open eyes and hand over mouth, face with eye peeking out, face with slanted mouth, and face with dotted line, while new emojis include lip biting and soap bubbles.
Apple Card Widget
Even if it doesn't affect us here, here we go. There is a new Apple Card widget in the Today view that can be added to the home screen. The Apple Card widget shows the current account balance and daily expenses in different categories.
keyboard brightness
In iPadOS 15.4, there is a new Keyboard Brightness option that can be added to Control Center to adjust the brightness of a connected backlit keyboard. It also works for Apple's Magic Keyboard, but must be added to Control Center. To do this, open Control Center in Settings and tap the "+" button next to Keyboard Brightness.
iCloud Keychain Notes
iCloud Keychain users can now add notes to each password entry, making iCloud Keychain more in line with other password storage options like 1Password.
Passkey Website Sign-in
Apple says the iOS 15.4 and iPadOS 15.4 betas add a new Passkey feature that lets users use an iPhone and a saved passkey to log into passkey-compatible websites and apps on Mac and iPad. This means you can use an iPhone to authenticate on websites that allow Face ID or Touch ID authentication, rather than having to enter a password.
game controller
According to Apple's release notes, the new DualSense adaptive trigger features are supported by the firmware.
120Hz animations in third-party apps on the iPhone 13 Pro
After the iPhone 13 Pro models were introduced, users noticed that third-party apps were not displaying all animations at the full 120Hz ProMotion refresh rate. Apple said it was a core animation bug that would be fixed in a future update. Now, this seems to be the case with iOS 15.4. With iOS 15.4, all animations in an app are displayed at 120Hz, making using the app much smoother and more efficient.
Custom email domains
iOS 15.4 beta expands support for the custom email domain available on paid iCloud+ plans and adds an option to set up a custom domain with iCloud Mail directly on iPhone.
SharePlay
In apps that support SharePlay, there is now an option to enable it directly in the share bar.
iPadOS Notes app
In the Notes section of the Settings app on iPad, there is a new "Corner Gestures" section under Quick Notes. In this area, you can choose functions for the left corner swipe and the right corner swipe. Options include "Quick Note" or "Screenshot." There is also the option to turn off the corner swipe gestures.
Adaptation of the TV app
In the TV section of the Settings app under Settings, you can now choose the Still Image or Poster Art options for what you'll see in the app. The Still Image option shows still images of what you're watching, while the Poster Art option shows the main titles of shows or movies.
vaccination records in the health app
Verifiable health records now support adding vaccination records in the EU Digital COVID Certificate format to the Health and Wallet apps, allowing people in the EU to add their vaccination records in the Wallet app for easy access. (Photo by Unsplash / Daniel Romero)
