Beta 3 of iOS 14.5 & iPadOS 14.5 Available for Testing
Apple has released the third beta version of iOS 14.5 and iPadOS 14.5 to users who are enrolled in the beta testing programs. Typically a developer beta build comes first and is soon followed by the public beta version.
Separately, Apple also released macOS 11.3 beta 3 for Mac beta testers.
iOS 14.5 and iPadOS 14.5 betas include some new features, like the ability to unlock an iPhone using an Apple Watch, dual SIM support for 5G, support for PS5 and Xbox X game controllers, additional privacy centric features, and a variety of new Emoji icons including a coughing emoji, a dazed face, a heart on fire, a woman with a beard, a vaccine, a bandaged heart, and various new skin color shade options for couples emojis.
Users who are enrolled in the beta testing programs can download iOS 14.5 beta 3 or ipadOS 14.5 beta 3 from the Software Update section of Settings.
Beta system software is generally only appropriate for advanced users, but technically anyone can run the public beta versions on their devices.
Apple usually goes through multiple builds of beta releases before issuing a final version, and thus we can get an approximation on when a finalized version of the same system software may be released. Being on beta 3 may indicate it’s about halfway through the beta testing cycle, so it’s conceivable that iOS 14.5 will be finalized in the month of March or even early April.
The latest stable builds of system software are currently iOS 14.4 and iPadOS 14.4 for iPhone and iPad, along with macOS Big Sur 11.2.2 for Mac, tvOS 14.4 for Apple TV, and watchOS 7.3 for Apple Watch.
