Apple iOS 15.4 / iPadOS 15.4 Developer Preview Beta 3 Released

On February 16, Apple pushed the iOS/iPadOS 15.4 Developer Preview Beta3 update (internal version number: 19E5225g) to iPhone and iPad users. This update was released one week after the last one.

Developers can download iOS 15.4 and iPadOS 15.4 through the Apple Developer Center, or via OTA after installing the appropriate profile on an iPhone or iPad.

iOS 15.4 and iPadOS 15.4 introduce some of the most significant changes we’ve seen in an update since the launch of iOS 15. On iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 models, there’s now an option to use Face ID while wearing a mask, without the need for an Apple Watch for authentication. It works just like Face ID, but it scans the area around your eyes when you’re wearing a mask.

On iPad, iPadOS 15.4 brings the long-awaited Universal Control feature. When paired with a Mac running macOS Monterey 12.3, Universal Control allows multiple Macs and iPads to be controlled with a single cursor and keyboard. This is a feature that works seamlessly after installing the update and is simple and intuitive to use.

With the addition of Emoji 14, there are 37 new emojis, so the emojis you can now use include melting face, biting lips, heart-shaped hands, bubbles, beans, slanted face, palm up, egg, troll, low battery, coral, lotus, and more.

iOS 15.4 Beta 2 introduces support for the Tap to Pay feature on iPhone, which is designed to allow NFC-compatible iPhones to accept payments through Apple Pay, contactless credit and debit cards, and other digital wallets without the need for additional hardware.

In the iOS 15.4 beta, "Tap to Pay" on the iPhone is enabled, but it does require third-party vendors to add support, so it's not available yet. There will be no outward signs of it for end users, but there are new "PaymentReceived" sound files and images showing the Tap to Pay interface.

There are signs that Apple may be planning to roll out support for digital IDs and driver’s licenses in iOS 15.4. There’s not a ton of evidence yet, but there are mentions of the feature in the PassKit code for Beta 2. “Learn when your driver’s license or state ID is ready to use, and get important updates about your ID,” it reads.

Other new features include 120Hz ProMotion support for app animations on iPhone 13 Pro models, EU vaccine certificates in the Wallet app, the ability to turn off Shortcuts automation notifications, keyboard brightness controls in Control Center on iPad, Apple Card widgets, iCloud Keychain notes, support for adding custom email domains to iCloud Mail on devices, and a SharePlay option for sharing sheets.