Apple has released public beta 2 for a variety of its software platforms, including macOS Sequoia 15.4, iPadOS 15.4, tvOS 18.4, and more. These updates arrive just over one week after the first betas, and one day after developer versions.
Installing the latest beta updates
Members of Apple’s free beta software program gain advanced access to a variety of updates not yet released to the general public.
Right now, the software in beta testing includes iOS 18.4, macOS 15.4, iPadOS 18.4, tvOS 18.4, HomePod 18.4, and watchOS 11.4. There is no visionOS beta available in public beta.
To install the latest beta 2 updates, simply open the Software Update section inside the Settings app on your device.
If you’re new to the program, you’ll need to first enroll online.
New beta 2 features in iPadOS 18.4, macOS 15.4, and more
Joining the variety of new features that arrived in the first public betas last week—like the redesigned Mail app—Apple has added the following improvements in beta 2.
There are seven new emoji built right into the emoji keyboard. These include:
- Face with bags under eyes
- Fingerprint
- Leafless tree
- Root vegetable
- Harp
- Shovel
- Splatter
Even though you could create these emoji on your own using Genmoji, it’s still important for Apple to add new emoji to the keyboard for all users to access.
Apple’s Shortcuts app has gained lots of new actions by which to modify various settings in Apple apps. These additions will not only benefit Shortcuts users, but they also give us a glimpse into the expanded Siri app powers that are coming soon.
Speaking of Siri, Control Center in iPadOS 18.4 offers a new Talk to Siri control to join the existing Type to Siri option.
As for Apple Intelligence additions, the Priority Notifications feature added in beta 1 now lets you customize which apps can have their alerts included in the feature or not.
If you’re downloading App Store apps or updates, there’s now a pause button you can use to temporarily pause a download. Previously, you had to cancel and start from scratch.
Finally, if you’re an Apple TV 4K user, there’s one new change for you: the TV app has added a plus button to the shows and movies that display in the top carousel. This enables you to quickly add something to your watchlist from there.
What are your favorite beta 2 changes in iPadOS 18.4 or another release? Let us know in the comments.
Best iPad and Mac accessories
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
