iOS 14.5: Here are five new features coming to the iPhone

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IOS 14.5, a new version of the iOS mobile operating system, will soon be rolling out by Apple. The latest version of the iOS will include a lot of new features including the ability to unlock your iPhone with your Apple Watch, set a default music player of your choosing, the much-awaited App Monitoring Transparency feature, dual-SIM global 5G support, and more.

Here’s all you need to know about 14.5 for iOS.

When will iOS 14.5 be out?

The final version of iOS 14.5 has not yet been released by Apple. As a developer preview, iOS 14.5 is available at the moment. Simply put, to try out the functionality, you need to have an Apple Developer account. Of course, this beta version could have some bugs as the final version isn’t out yet. Hopefully, sometime in February, the final version will be out.

When can I download iOS 14.5?

As we said before, iOS 14.5 has yet to be rolled out by Apple. As a developer beta, the most recent update is currently available. When it’s available to the public, you need to open the Settings app on your iPhone, then pick General and tap Software. With all the same devices as iOS 14, iOS 14.5 will be compatible.

What’s new in iOS 14.5

1. Unlock iPhone with Apple Watch

Apple is currently testing an iPhone feature that allows you to unlock your phone even if a face mask is worn, but there’s a catch. To use the feature, you need to have an Apple Watch. Clearly, WatchOS 7.4 needs to be run on that watch.

2. Set a default music player of your choice

Finally, Apple lets you set your preferred default music player. That means you can now pick Spotify as your default iOS 14.5 music player. So when you first ask Siri to play music, all the music streaming services you installed on your computer will be identified. All you need to do is pick which one to set as the default music player for you.

3. Dual-SIM 5G support

5G dual-SIM support will be made available to all users once the iOS 14.5 update is up and running. That means that iPhone dual-SIM users can get 5G on the physical SIM slot and digital eSIM of the handset. Dual-SIM 5G support was previously only available in China.

4. App tracking transparency

Device Monitoring Transparency is one of the major features of iOS 14.5. Simply put, users would be able to see which applications have sought to track permission. App monitoring is switched on by default right now, but users can disable it. Facebook is worried that the move will affect its company by keeping track of it by default.

5. Support for PS5 DualSense and Xbox Series X controllers

Support for PlayStation 5’s DualSense and Xbox Series X controllers includes iOS 14.5. The PS5 DualSense controller and the Xbox Series X controller can be used on iPhones and iPads with this support. The good news is that the PS5 DualSense and Xbox Series X controllers will be compatible with Apple Arcade games and iOS games that support the controllers.