Apple has released iOS 15.2 developer beta 4, here’s what’s new

Apple has released the fourth beta of the upcoming iOS 15.2 to registered developers. This update comes packed with changes and tweaks aimed at user privacy and security. These features include some that Apple had teased during the iOS 15 reveal at WWDC21. App Privacy Report, Communication Safety, a tweaked Notification Summary, and more will be available to the public within a month or two. Here’s everything that is new.

Beta 4

We haven’t been able to find new features in this build yet. We will update the article if we discover any changes. Apple highlights some of the bugs that have been fixed in beta 4, though.

Beta 3

Reminders

According to Apple’s release notes, you can now rename and delete tags in bulk — as opposed to doing that individually — in the Reminders app. However, we haven’t been able to replicate that.

Tweaks to the Items tab in Find My app

Beta 2 tweaked the Items tab in the Find My app. For some reason, though, this third beta changes it back to how it used to be pre-beta 2. The Items tab displays “Identify Found Item” yet again.

Tweaks to Macro mode settings

In iOS 15.1, Apple added a new “Auto Macro” toggle to the Settings app. According to MacRumors, this latest beta renames the toggle to “Macro Control.” The toggle is described as:

Show Camera control for automatically switching to the Ultra Wide lens to capture macro photos and videos.

Search playlists in Apple Music

MacRumors has also reported that the latest beta adds a search bar in Apple Music playlists. You can reveal it by swiping down in any list. This allows you to search for a certain song or artist inside the playlist. Playing a song from the search results will only queue songs that match the search term, not the entire playlist. So this feature works as a filter inside the playlist.

Beta 2

Communication Safety feature

According to 9to5Mac, this beta adds Messages Communication Safety for minors. This feature detects nudity sent to children’s devices, blurs them, and shows a prompt offering guidance. Hints of this feature were first discovered in iOS 15.2 beta 1, but now it can be enabled by a guardian on a child’s device. It’s worth mentioning that the feature is off by default.

Hide My Email in the Mail app

MacRumors reports that this beta also adds a shortcut to Hide My Email inside the Mail app. Previously, users could only access it through iCloud settings in the iPhone Settings app. This feature allows iCloud+ subscribers to create random aliases that forward emails to their original iCloud address. This lets users avoid sharing the original one with websites and people for privacy reasons or other concerns.

Legacy Contacts in Apple ID settings

According to Apple’s release notes, this release also allows users to add Legacy Contacts to their Apple IDs from iPhone Settings. These contacts will get access to your data in case you pass away, and they may download a copy as well.

Tweaks to the Items tab in Find My app

MacRumors has also shared that this iOS build tweaks the Items tab in the Find My app. Apple has renamed “Identify Found Item” to “Help Return Lost Item.” That’s in addition to an “Items That Can Track Me” option that allows users to scan for nearby Find My-enabled devices — such as AirTags — in case someone is tracking them.

New Store tab in the TV app

9to5Mac has discovered that there’s a new Store tab in the Apple TV app. This tab includes Movies and TV Shows sections that allow users to buy or rent content from the respective category.

Beta 1

According to MacRumors, iOS 15.2 developer beta 1 brings the following changes.

App Privacy Report

App Privacy Report is a feature that Apple teased back in June. It allows users to view the data, sensors, and servers apps are individually accessing. This change brings absolute transparency that makes it significantly tougher for malicious apps to secretly contact certain servers or access device sensors without users’ knowledge.

Emergency SOS tweaks

iOS 15.2 updates the Emergency SOS feature that lets you auto-call your country’s emergency line. You can now either rapidly hit the side button or hold the side button and either of the volume buttons for a few seconds. The countdown timer has also been changed from three to eight seconds.

Notification Summary tweaks

The Notification Summary that was first introduced in iOS 15.0 gets tweaked in iOS 15.2. The summary is now presented in a card-style view that makes glancing at the notification contents easier.

Hints of the Communication Safety feature

Apple’s child safety feature that detects nudity on minors’ devices will be released with iOS 15.2. The feature scans sent and received photos through the Messages app and notifies the parents if any inappropriate content is detected. The first beta of iOS 15.2 has code that mentions the feature, but it’s not live just yet.

What do you think of the new features in iOS 15.2? Let us know in the comments section below.

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