Apple releases third developer betas of iOS 14.5 and iPadOS 14.5 [u]

Apple on Tuesday seeded the third beta builds of its upcoming iOS 14.5 and iPadOS 14.5 software updates to registered developers, hours after it released the third beta of macOS 11.3.

The latest builds can be downloaded by developers in 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 of the releases is expected to start arriving soon, and will be available through the Apple Beta Software Program website.

The third round arrives after the second generation's developer builds of iOS 14.5 and iPadOS 14.5 on February 16, which also saw public releases one day later. The first beta round arrived on February 1, but a re-issue of the iOS beta was provided by Apple on February 4.

The first iOS 14.5 beta introduced a requirement for apps to ask a user's permission before using the device's unique advertising ID, part of an upcoming App Tracking Transparency feature. The ability for the Apple Watch to assist with Face ID unlocking when the user's wearing a mask, support for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X game controllers, and AirPlay 2 casting of Apple Fitness+ content were also among the changes spotted in that release.

The second beta included over 200 new emoji, Apple Music app refinements, updates to Apple's MagSafe Wallet removal haptics, and other alterations.

AppleInsider, and Apple itself, strongly suggest users avoid installing betas on to "mission-critical" or primary devices, due to the potential for data loss or other issues. It is instead recommended to install betas onto secondary or non-essential devices, and to ensure there are sufficient backups of important data beforehand.

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

Update: As of 4:50 p.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday, Apple has pulled the third beta version of iOS 14.5 and iPadOS 14.5 from the Apple Developer Center. Neither of the updates were actually made available over-the-air. It isn't clear why the betas were pulled.

Update 2: As of 5 p.m. Eastern Time, Apple has again released the third beta builds of iOS 14.5 and iPadOS 14.5 as an over-the-air update. It has yet to be reposted to the Apple Developer Center.