Release Candidate of iOS 14.4, iPadOS 14.4, MacOS Big Sur 11.2 Released to Beta Testers

Apple has issued Release Candidate versions of iOS 14.4, iPadOS 14.4, macOS Big Sur 11.2, tvOS 14.4, and watchOS 7.3 to users who are involved in the beta testing programs.

Both developer beta and public beta testers can now access the release candidate builds of the various operating systems. A release candidate typically indicates a final version is coming soon, which would be available to the general public.

None of the new system software versions are expecting major new features, and instead will likely focus on bug fixes, minor improvements, and small enhancements and changes to the various Apple operating systems. There are a few small new features included in iOS 14.4 related to Homepods, for example.

Users enrolled in the public beta and developer beta programs can find the latest versions available to download now from the respective software update mechanisms on their devices.

In iOS and iPadOS, beta updates can be downloaded to eligible devices via Settings > General > Software Update.

In macOS, beta updates can be downloaded from System Preference > Software Update.

tvOS betas are also installed via the Settings app, and watchOS betas are installed using the iPhone Apple Watch app.

Despite being a release candidate, this should still be considered beta system software, and is therefore less stable than final versions, making it really only appropriate for advanced users to consider running. The average user should simply wait for the final versions to be released to the general public.

While no known release date for iOS 14.4, iPadOS 14.4, and macOS Big Sur 11.2 exists to the general public, it’s reasonable to expect the final version to come shortly.

Currently, iOS 14.3 and iPadOS 14.3 for iPhone and iPad and macOS Big Sur 11.1 for Mac are the most recently available builds of system software available.