Now that we have a new iPad Pro, iMac, AirTag, and purple iPhone 12, Apple released the much-awaited iOS 14.5 and iPadOS 14.5 to the general public. We received the update today on our 2020 iPhone SE weighing in at 1.15 GB. This update appears to be the biggest and most important update since the iOS 14 release. Few changes (especially privacy-related) in the software update are listed below. To update your devices (iPhone 6S and later, eligible iPad devices), go to Settings > General > Software Update.
Changes in iOS 14.5
- App Tracking Transparency: Recieve a prompt while using an app to either allow the same to track your activity or ask not to track you at all.
Go to Settings > Privacy > Tracking and enable Allow apps to Request to Track. What is below this switch is the change that’s important.
Here you can choose which apps can track your activity. If the toggle switch against each app is enabled, you will be tracked by the respective apps. Disable the same toggle switches to avoid app tracking. Make sure Allow Apps to Request to Track is always enabled to receive the App Tracking Transparency prompt.
- New Siri voices (select from the available options, no default voice anymore).
- Dual SIM 5G connectivity and international roaming on 5G network (iPhone 12 series).
- New emojis especially for couples.
- Unlock your Face ID-equipped iPhones with the Apple Watch by tapping ‘Unlock with Apple Watch’ (requires the just-released WatchOS 7.4).
- Support for the newly introduced AirTag smart tracker.
The full changelog and details of iOS 14.5 can be viewed here.
Improvements in performance
The user interface now feels a lot more fluid than ever before. Apps open slightly faster and excessive battery drain especially the background drain appears to have been sorted out in this update. Occasional jittering and lock-ups throughout the system are now non-existent. All in all, we recommend every user update to iOS 14.5 as soon as possible for the best experience.