Apple is seeding the final builds of iOS and iPadOS 13.5 to developers ahead of its public release which is expected to be as soon as tomorrow. Many beta testers may have noticed that Apple transitioned from iOS 13.4.5 Beta 2 to iOS 13.5 Beta 3 on the same beta cycle. iOS 13.5 Beta 3 gained Apple’s new privacy-oriented COVID-19 Contact Tracing SDK which may explain the transition from a minor version number.
iOS 13.5 includes:
Features
- Apple & Google’s Exposure Notification API for COVID-19 contact tracing (opt-in only, requires separate healthcare app)
- Automatically bypass Face ID in favor of passcode using mask detection
- Added ability to disable “Automatic Prominence” (dynamic face-zooming) for Group FaceTime calls
Security Fixes & Optimizations
- Fixes Mail app vulnerability which enabled hackers to install malicious software on an iOS devices via a uniquely crafted email
- Resolves a bug preventing VPNs from encrypting traffic
- Strengthened reliability of Personal Hotspot
The iOS 13.5 GM (Golden Master) is currently available to developers as a free OTA (over-the-air) update via the Settings app on iOS and iPadOS by selecting General > Software Update. This update is likely to be the last iteration of iOS 13 to be released before Apple debuts the first developer preview of iOS 14 on June 22nd at an entirely virtual WWDC 2020.
What features are you looking forward to using in iOS 13.5? If we learn anything new about iOS 13.5 we will update this article accordingly. Spot anything new? Let us know on our Twitter: @appleosophyÂ
