Apple today released iOS 14.6 and iPadOS 14.6 to the public. The iOS 14.6 update isn't quite as significant as the iOS 14.5 update that preceded it, but it still introduces a number of notable new features. We've highlighted everything that's new in iOS and iPadOS 14.6 below.
/article-new/2021/05/iOS-14.6-Guide-Feature.jpg?lossy)
Apple Music Spatial Audio and Lossless Audio Support
Apple in May introduced two new Apple Music features, which Apple Music subscribers are getting for no additional cost. Apple Music Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos will offer up an immersive, multi-dimensional audio experience that lets artists mix music in a way that makes it sound like the notes are coming from all around you.
/article-new/2021/05/iPhone-Hi-Fi-Apple-Music-Feature.jpg?lossy)
Apple is also upgrading its entire music catalog to Lossless Audio, which preserves the details in the original audio file so Apple Music subscribers can hear songs exactly as artists recorded them in the studio.
Neither of these two features are launching with iOS 14.6 and Apple plans to enable them in June through a server-side update, but iOS 14.6 does lay the groundwork.
More about these new features can be found in our Apple Music guide and our dedicated Apple Music Lossless guide.
Apple Card Family
Announced in April, Apple Card Family is designed to allow an Apple card to be shared among family members. Two adults in a family can share a single Apple Card account, with each person serving as a co-owner to build credit.
/article-new/2021/05/apple-card-family.jpg?lossy)
Apple Card Family also lets parents share an Apple Card with their children for making purchases, with optional spending limits and parental controls to help children learn smart financial habits. All spending by the family is tracked with a single monthly bill.
Up to five people can be added to an Apple Card account for sharing purposes, with sharing handled through the Wallet app. All users must be part of the same Family Sharing Group, and be 13 years of age or older.
Co-owners must be 18 years or older, and will have a combined spending limit and the ability to see each other's spending. Existing Apple Card customers will be able to merge their Apple Card accounts if they have two cards, resulting in a higher shared credit limit with the lower APR of the two accounts, but this feature won't be available until July. Adding new family members or adding a co-owner to an Apple Card can be done through the Wallet app, and Apple has provided tutorials.
Apple Podcasts Subscription Support
iOS 14.6 introduces support for subscriptions in the Apple Podcasts app, allowing podcast creators to collect subscription fees from their listeners.
/article-new/2021/05/Podcasts-Feature.jpg?lossy)
Subscriptions can unlock additional content, with NPR, the Los Angeles Times, Sony Music Entertainment, Wondery, and more planning to introduce premium content. Podcast subscriptions are available in more than 170 countries.
AirTag and Find My
In the Find My app, if you put an AirTag or a Find My accessory into Lost Mode, you can now add an email address for contact purposes. Prior to iOS 14.6, the only option was to enter a phone number.
/article-new/2021/05/airtag-lost-mode-email.jpg?lossy)
AirTags will also now show a partially masked phone number of an owner when tapped with an NFC-compatible device.
Voice Control
iPhone users with the Voice Control accessibility option enabled can unlock their iPhones for the first time after a restart using only their voice after installing iOS 14.6.
Bug Fixes
There are a number of bug fixes that are included in iOS 14.6, with Apple fixing issues that include the Apple Watch not working to unlock the iPhone, disconnecting Bluetooth devices, and performance issues during startup. A full list of bug fixes is below:
- Unlock with Apple Watch may not work after using Lock iPhone on Apple Watch
- Reminders may appear as blank lines
- Call blocking extensions may not appear in Settings
- Bluetooth devices could sometimes disconnect or send audio to a different device during an active call
- iPhone may experience reduced performance during startup
Guide Feedback
Know of a feature that we left out? Send us an email here.
Top Rated Comments
For the test I used ultimate ears custom IEMs, Shure srh840 studio closed earphones, sennheiser 600 open ears, grado se225 open ears and finally near field monitors, all on an Apogee audio interface.
I really doubt even the most discerning 10% of people in this technical forum could appreciate the difference.
Have not heard it mentioned post announcement but it would be interesting if Match now upgraded tracks to lossless rather than 256Kbs AAC.
At least me and the other 3 Match users in the world would be super happy with that anyway.
What I want to know more about is spatial audio -- which tracks have it, whether it gets incorporated somehow into "legacy" tracks. That is a feature that would make me consider switching from Spotify. The limited amount I've used it on my AirPods Max, it's a really immersive, cool experience.