Connect with us

Apple

5 Things to Know About the iPadOS 14.6 Update

Published

on

Apple’s finally pushed its iPadOS 14.6 update to iPadiPad ProiPad Air, and iPad mini users.

iPadOS 14.6 is a milestone upgrade which means it brings a mix of new features, bug fixes, and security patches to iPad models capable of running iPadOS 14.

In this walkthrough we’ll take you through the iPadOS 14.6 update’s performance, the current list of iPadOS 14.6 problems, the best places to find feedback about bugs and performance issues, the iPadOS 14.6 jailbreak status, and more.

We’ll start with our early impressions of iPadOS 14.6 update’s performance on iPad Pro.

iPadOS 14.6 Review

If your iPad is currently running iPadOS 14.5.1, iPadOS 14.6 requires a fairly large download.

If your tablet is running an older version of iPadOS, your update will likely be bigger. In some cases, a lot bigger. That’s because the features and fixes from iPadOS 14 update(s) you skipped are baked into your iPadOS 14.6 update.

If your device is currently running iPadOS 14.5.1, the installation should take around 10 minutes to complete. It took about eight minutes to install on one of our older iPad Pro models.

For more on the iPadOS 14.6 download and installation, have a look at our guide.

We’ve been using the iPadOS 14.6 update on an iPad Pro for several days now and here’s what we’ve learned about its performance thus far:

Connectivity

  • Battery life is currently stable.
  • Wi-Fi connectivity is fast and reliable.
  • Bluetooth is working fine at the moment.
  • GPS and cellular data are stable.

App Performance

  • Third-party apps like Netflix, Dark Sky, Twitter, Slack, Asana, Gmail, Chrome, and Spotify are working just fine right now.
  • First party apps like Safari, Podcasts, and Calendar are also stable.

Speed

  • iPadOS 14.6 feels as fast as iPadOS 14.5.1 did.

If you’ve run into bugs or performance issues on iPadOS 14.5.1, or an older version of iPadOS 14, you should think about installing the iPadOS 14.6 update right now.

If you need help making a decision, take a look at our list of the best reasons to, and not to, install iPadOS 14.6.

iPadOS 14.6 Problems

iPad users are reporting issues with iPadOS 14.6.

The current list of iPadOS 14 problems includes installation issues, Exchange problems, issues with first and third-party apps, issues with Face ID, UI lag, Wi-Fi issues, issues with Widgets, and Bluetooth issues.

iPad users running iPadOS 14.6 are also reporting excessive battery drain. The issue looks like it’s fairly widespread and it’s impacting several different iPad models.

Battery drain issues are extremely common, but given the number of reports, Apple may be forced to release a fix in an upcoming software update.

If you run into issues, take a look at our fixes for the most common iPadOS 14 software issues. We’ve also released tips that will help you improve performance and tips that should help you improve your iPad’s battery life.

If you can’t stand iPadOS 14.6’s performance on your iPad, you no longer have the ability to downgrade it to older iPadOS software.

Apple has stopped signing on iPadOS 14.5.1 which means you can’t move your iPad back to the previous version of iPadOS 14. Unfortunately, you can’t move your iPad’s software back to anything older than iPadOS 14.5.1 either.

This means that those of you jumping up from iPadOS 14.5.1 and below should approach iPadOS 14.6 with caution. Once you make the move, there’s no going back.

iPadOS 14.6 Update: What’s New

Apple’s milestone iPadOS updates typically bring a mix of features, security patches, and under-the-hood improvements and that’s what you get from iPadOS 14.6.

Here’s the full iPadOS 14.6 change log:

Apple Card Family

  • Apple Card can be shared with up to five people, including anyone 13 years or older in your Family Sharing group
  • Apple Card Family adds support for families to track expenses, manage spending with optional limits and controls, and build credit together

Podcasts

  • Subscription support for channels and individual shows

AirTag and Find My

  • Lost mode option to add an email address instead of a phone number for AirTag and Find My network accessories

Accessibility

  • Voice Control users can unlock their iPad for the first time after a restart using only their voice

Bug Fixes

  • Reminders may appear as blank lines
  • Bluetooth devices could sometimes disconnect or send audio to a different device during an active call

While not listed in the update’s change log, iPadOS 14.6 users are saying the update gives Shortcuts a performance boost.

iPadOS 14.6 ties in with Apple’s new Spatial Audio and Lossless Audio features for Apple Music. Those features are due out in June.

The iPadOS 14.6 update also has 30+ new security patches on board. If you want to learn more about those, you’ll find the details right here on Apple’s security site.

iPadOS 14.6 Jailbreak

The developer teams behind the Checkra1n and unC0ver jailbreaking tools have released versions that are compatible with newer versions of iPadOS 14, but it’s unclear if they’re compatible with iPadOS 14.6.

We’ll let you know when we learn more.

What’s Next

Apple’s confirmed a new version of iPadOS 14.

The company’s put its iPadOS 14.7 update into beta testing and the pre-release version of the firmware is available to download right now through the company’s beta programs.

Like iPadOS 14.6, iPadOS 14.7 is a milestone upgrade which means it should carry new features, fixes, enhancements, and security patches.

We don’t have an official iPadOS 14.6 release date just yet. As of right now, we expect it to roll out alongside iOS 14.7 sometime in the summer.

Apple’s also confirmed its new iPadOS 15 operating system and it’s also in beta testing alongside iPadOS 14.7.

The iPadOS 15 release date lands in the fall, but if you don’t want to wait until September, you can download the software on your iPad right now. iPadOS 15 supports all iPadOS 14-powered devices.

4 Reasons Not to Install iPadOS 14.8.1 & 11 Reasons You Should

Install iPadOS 14.8.1 for Better Security

Install iPadOS 14.8.1 for Better Security

If security is important to you, and it should be, think about installing iPadOS 14.8.1 right now.

The iPadOS 14.8.1 update has 12 new security patches on board. They'll help protect you and your device from harm. You can read more about them on Apple's website

If you missed iPadOS 14.8, you'll get its security patches with your iPadOS 14.8.1 update. You can read more about them on Apple's security site

If you missed iPadOS 14.7.1, you'll get its security patch with your upgrade. If you want to learn more, head on over to Apple's website

If you skipped iPadOS 14.7, you'll get its 30+ security patches with your upgrade. If you want to learn more, head to Apple's website

If you skipped, iPadOS 14.6, you'll get its patches with your upgrade. iPadOS 14.6 brought 50+ security patches to the iPad, iPad Pro, iPad mini, and iPad Air. You can learn all about those changes right here

If you missed iPadOS 14.5.1, you'll get its security patches with your update. Both of them are related to WebKit. If you want to learn more about them, check Apple's website for more details

If you skipped iPadOS 14.5, you'll get its security patches with your upgrade. You can read more about the changes over on Apple's website

iPadOS 14.5 also brought Apple's new App Tracking Transparency which lets you control which apps are allowed to track your activity across other companies' apps and websites for ads or sharing with data brokers.

If you skipped iPadOS 14.4.2 you get its security patch with your upgrade. You can read more about the change over on Apple's website.  

If you missed iPadOS 14.8, iPadOS 14.7.1, iPadOS 14.7, iPadOS 14.6, iPadOS 14.5.1, iPadOS 14.5, iPadOS 14.4.2 and iPadOS 14.4.1, you'll get iPadOS 14.4.1's security patch with your update. You can read more about the patch on Apple's security site

If you skipped iPadOS 14.8, iPadOS 14.7.1, iPadOS 14.7, iPadOS 14.6, iPadOS 14.5.1, iPadOS 14.5, iPadOS 14.4.2, iPadOS 14.4.1 and iPadOS 14.4, you get iPadOS 14.4's patches with your upgrade. You can learn more about iPadOS 14.4's security patches right here

If you skipped iPadOS 14.8, iPadOS 14.7.1, iPadOS 14.7, iPadOS 14.6, iPadOS 14.5.1, iPadOS 14.5, iPadOS 14.4.2, iPadOS 14.4.1, iPadOS 14.4, and iPadOS 14.3, you'll get iPadOS 14.3's patches with your upgrade. 

iPadOS 14.3 also included a new privacy information section on App Store pages that includes a developer-reported summary of the app’s privacy practices.

If you skipped iPadOS 14.8, iPadOS 14.7.1, iPadOS 14.7, iPadOS 14.6, iPadOS 14.5.1, iPadOS 14.5, iPadOS 14.4.2, iPadOS 14.4.1, iPadOS 14.4, iPadOS 14.3, and iPadOS 14.2, you'll get iPadOS 14.2's 24 security patches with your upgrade. You can learn more about those patches on Apple's security website

If you're still running iPadOS 13, iPadOS 14.8.1 includes iPadOS 14.0's security updates. 

iPadOS 14.0 brought 11 new security patches to iPad models. If you're interested in the exact nature of these improvements, you can read about them over on Apple's website

If you skipped iPadOS 13.7 or any older versions of iPadOS 13, you'll get the security patches from those updates with your upgrade. They're baked in.

In addition to those patches, iPadOS 14 comes with some security and privacy upgrades including improvements to Home/HomeKit and Safari. 

For instance in Safari, you can now tap the Privacy Report button to better understand how websites handle your privacy.

With iPadOS 14 on board you can now get information on the App Store that will help you understand the privacy practices of apps before you download them. 

There is also a new recording indicator that will appear at the top of your screen whenever an app is using your microphone or camera. You can see if an app has used them recently in Control Center.

Researchers also discovered that Apple brought a new "BlastDoor" sandbox security system to iOS 14 and iPadOS 14. The system is meant to prevent attacks from occurring via the Messages app. 

You can read more about "BlastDoor" right here

1 Comment

1 Comment

  1. Pam Scott

    06/06/2021 at 7:16 pm

    The 14.6 update has totally messed up my aol email. I can’t retrieve any email since the update unless I log in direct to aol without using the email app on my iPad. Is there going to be a fix for this issue? Everything was fine until the update. Thank you.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.