After a month of beta testing, iPadOS 17.4 is now available to iPad users. This update has few more features than iPadOS 17.3, even though it lacks important changes available with iOS 17.4, such as iPhone sideloading.
Unlike the iPhone update, Apple’s iPad models won’t fall into the Digital Markets Act legislation, which means iPad European users won’t be able to download third-party app stores, use third-party wallets, and so on.
That said, here are the main iPadOS 17.4 features available now:
- New emoji: New mushroom, phoenix, lime, broken chain, and shaking heads emoji are available in the emoji keyboard in addition to 18 people and body emoji with the option to face them in either direction
- Apple Podcasts Transcripts: Transcripts let you follow an episode with text that highlights in sync with the audio in English, Spanish, French, and German
- Accessibility podcast features: Episode text can be read in full, searched for a word or phrase, tapped to play from a specific point, and used with accessibility features such as Text Size, Increase Contrast, and VoiceOver
- Apple Music tweaks: Music recognition lets you add songs you have identified to your Apple Music Playlists and Library with iPadOS 17.4
- Messages changes: Business updates you opt-in to keep you informed of order status, flight notifications, fraud alerts, or other transactions from trusted businesses in Messages for Business
- Apple Cash: Apple Cash virtual card numbers enable you to pay with Apple Cash at merchants that don’t yet accept Apple Pay by typing in your number from Wallet or using Safari AutoFill
- Home tab: Apple Music and Podcasts’ Listen Now tab is now called Home.
- New iMessage protocol: iMessage is also being upgraded with iPadOS 17.4 with a new post-quantum cryptographic protocol that improves end-to-end secure messaging. You can learn more about it here.
In addition, iPadOS 17.4 fixes an issue where contact pictures are blank in Find My, and Safari Favorites Bar adds an option to show only icons for websites.
