Another week has come and gone, and Apple gave us some pretty big news over the past few days, so let's dive right in.
First off, Apple released the first developer beta for iOS 14.5, and this is one juicy update. So far, it seems that iOS 14.5 will: enable dual-SIM 5G support for the iPhone 12 lineup, allow you to unlock your iPhone with Apple Watch on watchOS 7.4 beta when you're wearing a mask, bring support for PlayStation 5 DualSense and Xbox Series X controllers, may have Apple Card Family Sharing, and some code suggests a financial health feature is coming to Wallet. Like I said, this is not just another small beta — these are huge features.
Honestly, I absolutely cannot wait for the ability to unlock my iPhone 12 Pro with my Apple Watch while I'm wearing a face mask. I barely leave my home these days, but when I do, it's always annoying when I'm trying to unlock my phone but Face ID doesn't recognize my masked self. Yeah, I know that inputting my passcode only takes a few seconds, but still, it's an extra step. Plus, I mean I've been able to unlock my Mac with my Apple Watch for quite some time now, so it only makes sense for it to come to the iPhone as well — though it shouldn't have taken a pandemic for this to be implemented.
To be fair, I still think future iPhones should have both Face ID and Touch ID, giving us the option to use one or the other when the situation calls for it. Another rumor has popped up in the past week that Touch ID may be coming back to the iPhone in the form of an in-screen fingerprint sensor, and this would make me very happy. I have seen a few Android phones already have this kind of feature, so I see no reason why Apple wouldn't do this as well — hopefully sooner rather than later! With Apple's history of not wanting to be first, but the one to get it right, I have high expectations.
And while we're on the topic of the next iPhone, the Ultra Wide camera may get a huge upgrade, allowing more light in captures. While I love the option of taking gorgeous landscape photos with the Ultra Wide lens, I was always disappointed with the end results in low light, thus resulting in me not using it as much as the regular Wide lens, for example. But if this report is true, I can't wait to get more use out of the Ultra Wide camera in the next iPhone.
Another thing I'm looking forward to from the iOS 14.5 beta is that Wallet app financial help feature. The report seems to indicate that this would be open for everyone, and not just Apple Card users. Not everyone is great with their money, and even I could use some pointers (mechanical keyboards are addictive but not a cheap hobby!), so having this integrated directly in Wallet would be a welcome addition. I love how intuitive all of the Apple Card features are in Wallet, so opening this up for other cards is big — everyone benefits here.
We also had some big news about Apple close to finalizing a deal with Hyundai-Kia (a $3.6 billion deal) about the Apple Car, which could be even more expensive than a Tesla. It's no surprise that Apple has been working on car tech for a while now, and production could begin in 2024. Is anyone really surprised that it may be even more expensive than a Tesla, though? After all, this is a car that we expect to be fully autonomous, so it's not shocking. I just need more money to get one someday — one can dream!
Until next time.
- Christine Romero-Chan
