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Apple releases fifth public beta version of iOS 14, iPadOS 14 and tvOS 14

Credit: Apple

Last updated

Apple has released the fifth beta of iOS 14, iPadOS 14, and tvOS 14 to members of its public software testing program.

The fifth public betas should be essentially the same as the fifth developer beta, which Apple seeded on Tuesday. The builds can be acquired from the Apple Beta Software Program web portal.

Among the changes in iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 beta five are a new onboarding screen for shortcuts, location access permissions for widgets and a fix for a phone call bug in AirPods Pro.

Both iOS and iPadOS 14 make updates to the Home screen and app interface, as well as Messages and Safari, overhauls Siri's interface, adds elements to Maps, adds Sound Recognition alerts, and introducesCarKey, among other changes.

The Apple TV's tvOS 14 adds the Home app to the set-top box, updates HomeKit Secure Video, and makes smaller adjustments to Apple Arcade.

AppleInsider, and Apple itself, strongly recommend users don't install the betas on to "mission-critical" or primary devices, as there is the remote possibility of data loss or other issues. Instead, testers should install betas onto secondary or non-essential devices, and to make sure there are sufficient backups of important data before updating.



3 Comments

dutchlord 279 comments · 7 Years

My iphone 11 pro max crashes often, about 6-8 times per day. Its not related to a specific app or action. My wifi drops and bluetooth connection with my airpods pro is very unstable. Not a very good beta and not recommended to install. Apple has lots of work to do to finish this beta.

OutdoorAppDeveloper 1292 comments · 15 Years

Why does Apple Insider report this as news every time Apple releases a software update. Who here has decided to downgrade the version of iOS one minor version (without being in the beta program)? If you did that, why did you do it? I am sure it happens (compatibility with some app or service) but given that the window of opportunity to downgrade is only a week or two, I bet hardly anyone does.

Mike Wuerthele 6906 comments · 8 Years

Why does Apple Insider report this as news every time Apple releases a software update. Who here has decided to downgrade the version of iOS one minor version (without being in the beta program)? If you did that, why did you do it? I am sure it happens (compatibility with some app or service) but given that the window of opportunity to downgrade is only a week or two, I bet hardly anyone does.

I'm not sure what the question is, here. It seems pretty obvious why we'd report on a fifth public beta release.