A Closer Look at iOS 14 Beta Four: Subtle yet Noteworthy Changes

In this video, we're taking a closer look at what's new in iOS 14 beta four. Right off the bat, it's worth noting that the changes are mostly subtle and don't drastically alter the user experience. However, there are still some notable updates to explore.

One of the first changes we notice is in the Weather app. Upon reviewing the icon designs for various weather conditions, we see that they've been modified slightly. For instance, on beta four, the lightning bolt icon for thunderstorms is now behind the cloud instead of in front of it, as seen on beta three. Similarly, the partly sunny glyph has undergone a similar change. These changes may seem minor at first glance, but they do demonstrate Apple's ongoing efforts to refine and improve their user interface.

Moving on to the Settings app, we see that Exposure Notifications now has its own dedicated panel. On beta three, this feature is not present, so it's clear that this update represents a significant change. However, since the video creator doesn't have access to public health authority applications that take advantage of the Exposure Notification API, they're unable to test this feature firsthand.

In contrast, the Music app has undergone some changes as well. Specifically, the icon at the top right corner of the screen for downloading all songs in an album has been modified slightly. A small circle outline now surrounds the icon, which is a subtle yet noticeable change. When you tap on the icon to download the entire album, another change occurs: a brand new checkmark icon appears, indicating that all the songs have been successfully downloaded.

The creator notes that this checkmark icon is different from what was present in beta three, with a full text label instead of just an icon. While the exact design may vary depending on previous versions of iOS, it's clear that Apple has made an effort to improve the user experience here. Additionally, if you scroll down further, you'll still see those icons at the top.

A More Significant Update: Background Tinting for Widget Editing

Another feature worth mentioning is the background tinting for widget editing in the Safari app. On beta four, when you edit a widget and select a different color scheme or app, the background will be tinted to match the new selection. This may seem like a small change, but it can make a significant difference in terms of visual consistency and user experience.

To demonstrate this feature, the creator edits a widget for the Reminders app on beta three and sees that the background is not tinted at all. However, when they edit the Notes app on beta four, the background takes on a yellow tint. This subtle change highlights Apple's attention to detail in refining their user interface.

The TV App Widget: A Long-Awaited Feature

Finally, we come across one of the most significant and long-awaited features in iOS 14 beta four: the TV app widget. As previewed at WWDC, this feature finally appears on our phones in beta four. The widget allows you to easily access up-next content, similar to what's found on the Apple TV interface.

To demonstrate this feature, the creator taps on the TV app widget and is taken directly to a video service associated with that particular channel. This seamless integration highlights Apple's ongoing efforts to improve their user experience and provide more convenient access to entertainment options.

A Brief Interlude: Safari 4K Support on MacBook Air

In a brief aside from the main topic, the creator points out that iOS 14 beta four includes 4K support in Safari, thanks to VP9 decoding baked into macOS Big Sur. While this may not be a true 4K display on all Macs, including the MacBook Air, it still represents an improvement over lower-resolution displays.

The benefits of 4K resolution include higher bit rates and improved visual quality, making it more suitable for watching videos or browsing content online. This feature highlights Apple's commitment to providing users with the best possible experience across their devices.

Conclusion

That concludes our look at iOS 14 beta four and a sneak peek at Big Sur beta four. We hope you enjoyed this video and appreciated the time spent exploring these updates. Don't forget to leave us a thumbs up if you found this video helpful, as that helps others discover it.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: en- How's it going, guys,in this video we're gonna take a lookat what's new in iOS 14,beta four, check it out.(gentle sounds)So right off the bat, let me just saythat what you're gonna find in beta fourare subtle changes infeatures for the most part.And that's demonstratedhere within the Weather app.So if you look closely,you're gonna notice that the iconsthat illustrate what theweather conditions will be likeon various days, those havebeen modified slightly.So for instance, on beta fourthe lightning bolt forthe thunderstorm iconis actually behind the cloudinstead of in front of thecloud, like on beta three.And you get a similar changeon the partly sunny glyph as well.So like I said, very subtle.Now, another change is gonna be foundwithin the Settings app.If you scroll down,you're gonna notice Exposure Notificationsnow has its own dedicated panel,right at the root of the Settings app.Here's beta three on theleft side, and you don't seeany sort of ExposureNotifications panel there.So that is brand new in beta four.Now, you're not gonna seeanything here on my screenbecause I don't have any sortof public health authority applicationthat actually takes advantageof the Exposure Notification API.So still waiting on that,once that appears you'll be able to foolwith that settings panel a little bit.Now, here is another changewithin the Music app.You're gonna notice thatthe little icon at the top,upper right hand cornerto download all songsin an album, that has beenmodified just slightly.Now you see a littlecircle outline around it.Again, like I said, verysubtle changes here,but when you tap that to download,you're also gonna noticeanother change that occursonce the download of theentire album is completed.So you're gonna see a brand new icon therethat denotes, here in justa second, give it a sec.There we go.So you see a little check mark iconthat denotes that allthe songs in that albumhave been downloaded.If you tap that you'll getoptions for removing songsand deleting the album from your library.Now on beta three, you're gonna noticethat that's a little bit different.So instead of that lowkey check mark icon,you get a full text that says downloadedwith the check mark next to that,on previous betas andprevious versions of iOS.So I actually prefer how itlooks here on iOS 14, beta four.And if you scroll down,you could still seethose icons at the top.Now here is a another feature.This is actually really cool.So when you go into edit awidget on your home screen,you're gonna notice here on beta three,the background just sortof blurs out, right?But on beta four, when you edit a widget,the background blurs out,but it also is tinted torepresent the color of the widgetthat you're modifying, for instance, here,the Reminders app, Iget a little blue tinton the background, it's subtle again,but you can tell the difference herewhen I go to edit theReminders app on beta three.I don't know if you could seethat, but it's a blue tint.Just take my word for it.You'll be able to see it betterwhen I edit the Notes app here.So I'm gonna long press, Edit Widget,and you can see the yellow tintthat kind of sticks out like a sore thumb.So that's a neat littleaddition here in beta four.And then lastly, we get, yes, indeed,the TV app widget,something we've been waitingfor since the initial beta,because this was something thatactually previewed at WWDC.It hasn't actually appeared on our phonesuntil now in beta four.And this basicallygives you up next accessright there on your home screen,similar to what you findon the Apple TV interface.You can just tap that and resumeright where you left offwhen your favorite TV showsthat you were watching or moviesor whatever the case may be here.So if I just tap that,it'll load up the video serviceassociated with that particular channel.So that was all the iOSfeatures I wanted to show you,but I'm gonna switch it up a little bit,normally I don't encroach orbring other sort of platformsinto these iOS videos,but this was so cool.I had to show you this right hereon the latest, Big Sur beta.So you can see you have YouTube,our YouTube channel loadedup, if you haven't subscribed,go ahead and do so right now,we'll have a way morevideos coming up hereover the next few weeks and months.But what I wanted toshow you is right here.So you get in Safari 4K support on YouTubethanks to VP9 decodingbaked into macOS Big Sur.Now you may be wonderingwhy do you care about 4Kon a MacBook Air?Well, that's true, it'snot a true 4K display,but it's still a higherresolution than 10 ADP.So you do notice benefits andyou have a higher bit ratewith 4K video as well.So ladies and gentlemen, that is a lookat iOS 14, beta four and a sneak peekat Big Sur beta four as well.If you appreciated thisvideo, leave me a thumbs upbecause that helps others find this video.Let me know what you guys thinkdown below in the comments.This is Jeff with 9to5Mac.\n"