Apple Seeds First Public Betas of iOS 15.4 and iPadOS 15.4 With Universal Control, Face ID With Mask Support and More
Apple today seeded the first betas of upcoming iOS 15.4 and iPadOS 15.4 updates to public beta testers, with the software coming just a day after the launch of the developer betas.

iOS and iPadOS 15.4 can be downloaded over the air after the proper profile from Apple's public beta testing website has been installed on an iPhone or iPad.
iOS 15.4 and iPadOS 15.4 are major updates. iOS 15.4 brings a new feature for unlocking your iPhone with Face ID even when wearing a mask, and iPadOS 15.4 introduces Universal Control. 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, and it's super simple and intuitive to use. Universal Control requires macOS Monterey 12.3, which does not yet appear to be available for public beta testers.
The betas also bring new Emoji 14 characters, an
Apple Card widget, a keyboard brightness Control Center option on iPad, support for on-device custom email domain setup, easier access to SharePlay, and tons more.
We have a full list of everything new in iOS 15.4 available in our iOS 15.4 features guide. Apple has also released the first tvOS 15.4 public beta.
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