Apple issues fourth iOS 14.2, iPadOS 14.2, tvOS 14.2 developer betas [u]

iOS 14 and iPadOS 14

The latest builds can be acquired by developers signed up to the beta-testing scheme via the Apple Developer Center, or as an over-the-air update for hardware already using earlier beta builds. A public beta version usually appears a short time after the developer variants, and will be available through the Apple Beta Software Program website.

This marks the fourth generation of the current beta cycle, following the release of the third betas on October 12, the second on September 29, and the first on Sept. 17, one day after Apple released milestone versions of the operating systems.

Apple's main changes for iOS 14.2 revolved around Control Center, including a new Shazam icon and a "people detection" feature in Magnifier, to assist with social distancing. Other changes include artwork refinements, a new Apple Watch app icon, updated Home app icons, a tweaked Now Playing screen in Control Center, and new emoji under the Unicode 13 release.

Both AppleInsider and Apple strongly suggest users avoid installing betas on to "mission-critical" or primary devices, due to the potential for data loss or other issues. Instead, the recommendation is to install betas onto secondary or non-essential devices, and to ensure there are sufficient backups of important data before making any major changes.

Find any changes in the new betas? Reach out to us on Twitter at @AppleInsider or @Andrew_OSU, or send Andrew an email at [email protected].

Update: Developers are surfacing new features discovered in the latest beta, including availability of fresh photographic and artistic wallpapers.