Apple has released the third beta for developers running iOS 14 on their devices. It features some new changes, both aesthetic and functional, alongside a slew of improvements. Read along to know what’s changed.
Apple hasn’t released a Public Beta corresponding to the Developer Beta yet. But you can expect it next week. Public Betas are usually a replica of Developer Betas with some internal changes in the framework here and there to make it fit for general usage. From that, we know that the Public Beta will more or less include the same features and changes.
You can install the iOS 14 Developer Beta 3 by heading over to the Software Updates tab within the About tab in the General Settings on your iPhone. This is, however, provided you have a Developer profile installed on your iPhone.
Still, it’s a Developer Beta and if you are not a developer, we suggest you abstain from installing this build as it may introduce problems in daily-life usage.
Featurewise, there is nothing significant that Beta 3 has to offer. But one change is particularly controversial. The Music app icon now looks like the one that was introduced alongside iOS 7. For some, it’s a welcome improvement. However, many are discontented with Apple going backward when it should be advancing in terms of design. Does this mean Apple has run out of design ideas? No.
This change could be to introduce a new sense of continuity between iOS and macOS. And there’s a good chance Apple reinstates the recent Music app icon before iOS 14 launches en masse. Either way, here are all the changes in iOS 14 Beta 3.
Note: These changes have been accumulated from different sources and aren’t necessarily found by me. 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 are all the changes in iOS 14 Developer Beta 3
- Screen Time widget now appears to be fixed. It previously appeared pixelated.
- The Music app now has icons for the predefined category lists in the Library.
- Apple Music now remembers the last played song even after you kill the app from the background.
- Double tapping the search tab in the bottom right corner will now bring up a keyboard for typing in the search bar directly.
- New shortcuts are preloaded in the Shortcuts app.
- Beta 3 finally fixes the issue where the “Other” storage was taking up too much space.
- The search bar in the Maps app has grown a bit taller now.
- Shortcut commands including those that turn off the device’s WiFi don’t work. It’s a bug.
- There’s a new design for the Music widget.
- There’s a new clock widget. But it doesn’t tell time correctly.
- The Music app icon is reverted to match the iOS 7 Music icon’s design.
- The “Remove from Stack” option is now shifted to inside the Stack editing interface.
- Low Power Mode for iPads is repealed after being available on iOS 14 Beta 1 and 2.
- The Weather widget now features an updated design.
- Notifications now feature a darker background shade while Dark Mode is enabled.
- The Weather widget now shows a short text summary of the weather for the day.
- The new Clock widget changes color based on the time of the day.
- The widgets edit button is back in Today View, where previously it was removed in iOS 14.
- The App Library Smart folder titles are now left-aligned and are readable.
- Live Wallpapers are removed from 3D Touch-enabled devices.
- 3D touch is disabled for devices having the functionality.
- You can now drag and drop Music into playlists on the sidebar in the Music app on iPad.
- Beta 3 brings the display zoom feature within Settings for devices with a notch.
- Verizon users having the Call Filter app on their devices feature a new option to “Silence Junk Callers” within Call Blocking and Identification settings.
- The Shazam shortcut now shows a new animation when accessed.
- Back Tap is now available for iPhone 8 and 2020 iPhone SE users.
- Face Covering Memoji is now updated with a new design for the mask.
- AirPods sound quality has been improved.
- The Spotlight Search bar has been updated to feature a more minimalistic design.
- Animations are improved and the whole experience is a bit smoother.
- You can now delete the saved colors in the color palette introduced in iOS 14 Beta 1 as part of the markup options.
- You can now share Apple Music songs, playlists, and albums to Snapchat stories.
- The UI within the Music App has a darker shade of pink throughout.
- You can now long-press on an app in List View to summon its contextual menu.
- New menu icons in the Files app. Specifically for “Favorites” and “Connect to Server.”
- Pagination dots have been lowered a bit on the home screen in Beta 3.
- New Alert-based splash screen now appears the first time you use the home screen informing the new method of interaction with the page dots.
- You can now choose to receive location-based handwashing reminders. Currently confined to the home address set via Maps.
- New Alert-based splash screen now appears for the first time you visit the Today View after updating to Beta 3 informing how to interact with Widgets. The Alert also mentions “Jiggle mode,” so we finally have confirmation.
- You can now use Guided Access.
- VoiceOver users now should be able to answer calls that appear in the form of a banner as part of the Compact UI.
- Low-Latency HLS, which is used for Live Streaming, is now supported in Safari or Webkit, as per the Release Notes.
- iMessage app icons now stay hidden when switching to the emoji keyboard.
- The volume control now functions as normal when the EU Volume Limit is active, as per the Release Notes.
- You can now access the “Learn More…” link within the Tracking settings in the Settings app.
- Triggering an Automation while closing an app is now available, as per Release Notes.
- Siri should be able to recognize shortcuts now.
- On-device Mode is now supported within the Translate app for devices that support On-Device dictation.
- iOS 14-unsupported widgets get their own visual separation with a backdrop while in Edit mode in Today View.
These were all the features we could find for now. You can check out the changes in iOS 14 Developer Beta 2 that we covered in an earlier post. As always, we’ll be posting more information about the state of iOS 14, so stay tuned.
One of the major changes in the third Beta of iOS 14 is the new Music app icon. It’s not new per se, so much as it has reverted back to the early Music icon design introduced in iOS 7. It may be a welcome change for some, but I know for sure there are many who dislike the little trip down memory lane.
What are your thoughts? Do let us know in the comments section below.
