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The Purple iPhone 12 Ships with iOS 14.5

Apr 20, 2021 05:43 PM

Apr 20, 2021 06:05 PM

Purple smartphone with dual cameras and a sleek design.

During its first event of 2021, Apple announced a surprising new purple iPhone 12 the first new color for the device since its launch in the fall. However, one piece of important news slipped under the radar in the announcement — the purple iPhone 12 ships with iOS 14.5.

Apple didn't specify this fact during its event. In fact, the company didn't mention iOS 14.5 at all. Instead, the announcement came inside a press release for the new iPhone 12, burying the lead for those of us software fans.

Unfortunately, the company didn't say when 14.5 itself will be available. It's possible the software will launch on April 30, which is the day that the purple iPhone 12 hits stores. However, Apple might decide to release the software earlier than that, so we'll need to see what the company chooses to do.

This next big iPhone update didn't come out of thin air — since Feb. 1, Apple has beta tested 14.5, running the software through eight different beta updates so far. Developers for iOS, as well as public beta testers, are all trying out the update right now, and are among the first to see new features like support for PS5 and Xbox Series X controllers, updates for Apple News, Podcasts, Apple Music, over 200 new emoji, and so much more.

Screen displaying app options on a smartphone, including Apple Music, Netflix, and Spotify.

Map interface showing a route with options to report an incident.

Podcast episode titled "The Leadership Instinct" from The Daily by The New York Times.

Cover image by Apple

The next big software update for iPhone is coming sometime in April and will include a Food section in Apple News+, an easy-to-miss new Ambient Music app, Priority Notifications thanks to Apple Intelligence, and updates to apps like Mail, Photos, Podcasts, and Safari. See what else is coming to your iPhone with the iOS 18.4 update.