iOS 14 Developer Beta 5 is out now and there is a bevy of changes in this update. At this point, it seems as if Apple is experimenting a lot with what people exactly need when it comes to using their iPhones and iPads. Plus, Apple’s also adding minimal new features on the go to hone iOS 14 for a final release, probably in October alongside the iPhone 12.
This is how betas work. Apple introduces new features and developers test it. When some feature feels disruptive or outright unnecessary, developers can provide feedback for that to Apple using the dedicated Feedback app. Based on the feedback and the number of developers testing the beta who have the same opinion about that feature, Apple then makes the final decision of either nipping it altogether or making changes in it to offer it for testing in future betas.
Apart from letting developers having all the fun, Apple also lets the general user base participate in beta testing. As a result, public betas are usually much more stable than developer betas and are released a while after a developer beta. Similarly, we can expect iOS 14 Public Beta 5 to be available sometime soon, now that the Developer Beta 5 is out.
That said, as always, beta versions of iOS usually introduce a few changes and improvements here and there. However, every release also features changes that aren’t officially documented and are under-the-hood. As usual, we take immense pleasure in scouring through our iPhones and the web to uncover those. Read along for the entire list of features/changes in the latest developer beta- iOS 14 Developer Beta 5.
You can also check out what was new in Beta 4 and maybe compare it with the feature list in this article to see how iOS improved among the two beta versions.
As always, you can also check out Apple’s official Release Notes for iOS 14 Developer Beta 5 here.
Note: These changes have been accumulated from different sources and aren’t necessarily found by us. A special thanks to everyone who unknowingly contributed. Keep refreshing this page as new items are being constantly added to the list. If anything remains left out or is incorrect, please let me know in the comments section below!
Here’s everything new in iOS 14 Developer Beta 5
- You will now be asked to give location access to a widget added to the home screen through a prompt.
- The flicker wheel is back and it’s now incorporated right into the new time-setting interface universally. Now, you can enter the time by both tapping and typing or flicking the time wheel. You can check it out in the alarm setting interface within the Clock app.
- You can now hide the “Hidden” album in the Photos app from within device Settings. Previously, you could hide individual photos but those would still be easily accessible through the hidden album in the Photos app. Now, you can put your photos in the hidden album and hide the album itself, facilitating true native photo hiding.
- There’s also a new, expanded widget for the News app that shows more headings and occupies an entire screen. As a result, this widget is only available in the Today View and not on the home screen.
- Beta 5 lets you see if Exposure Notifications are available yet.
- Folders now look much narrower. Probably a bug.
- The Calendar widget is now lighter-gray as opposed to a darker shade featured in previous betas. Also, the “No more events today” text is slightly enlarged for better comprehension.
- Certain elements like the “Sleep well” label has been removed from the bedtime screen on the lock screen to make it look more simplistic.
- Page dots are once again placed a little farther apart from the dock.
- iOS 14 Beta 5 finally has an option to remove a featured photo from a featured photo widget.
- New splash screen in the Shortcuts app.
- Apple Music app now changes background colors faster than before.
- Text is now smaller in the Shortcuts actions.
- There are new symbols for shortcuts within the Shortcuts app.
- Safari autocomplete now shows website URLs in blue.
- Haptic Touch is back while long-pressing notifications on the 2020 iPhone SE.
- Small HomeKit shortcuts are back in Beta 5, while they were previously omitted in betas 2 through 4.
- Some Shortcuts icons are slightly modified to feature updated glyphs.
- The background while playing music in the Apple Music app is now much less dynamic.
- Developers can now test App Clips by going to Settings - Developer Settings.
- App Store won’t quit unexpectedly if Full Keyboard Access is enabled.
- Apps installed using Xcode will now appear in the Recently Added folder within App Library.
- The Mail app will now be able to connect to SMTP servers that support only AUTH LOGIN command, according to Apple’s Release Notes for Beta 5.
- Mail can now connect to SMTP servers that require fully qualified hostnames during HELO, according to Apple Release Notes for Beta 5.
- Microsoft Exchange and Outlook.com accounts will now display an error if the wrong account type is used during login, according to Apple Release Notes for Beta 5.
- The Maps app now won’t quit unexpectedly on launch.
- Attachment thumbnails within Messages notifications in the notification center will now appear as intended.
- Now, when you’ll search for Timer using Spotlight and tap on the action, it will actually work instead of doing nothing previously.
- Font sizes within widgets now adjust automatically for different devices.
- The Weather widget now displays data in a timely manner, according to Apple Release Notes for Beta 5.
That’s all for this Beta. The Public Beta 5 should be out anytime as early as today or later this week. Stay tuned for further updates from us.
