Apple will release iOS 14.5, iPadOS 14.5 'next week'

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Ios 14 Home Screen Hero
Ios 14 Home Screen Hero (Image credit: Christine Romero-Chan / iMore)

What you need to know

  • Apple says iOS 14.5 and iPadOS 14.5 will launch next week.
  • The update will be needed to use AirTags, Apple says.

Apple announced a slew of new products and service updates today, not least the arrival of AirTags. Hidden right at the bottom of the Apple Newsroom post announcing the trackers, Apple also confirmed when iOS 14.5 and iPadOS 14.5 will be released.

Next week, if you were wondering. And you'll need the software updates installed if you want to make use of AirTags.

AirTag requires iPhone or iPod touch running iOS 14.5 or later, or iPad running iPadOS 14.5 or later. These software updates will be available starting next week. Customers must have an Apple ID and be signed into their iCloud account. Certain features require Find My to be enabled in iCloud settings.

Apple's iOS 14.5 update has been through a lot of betas in recent weeks but it seems Apple is now finally ready to launch it.

As for AirTags, they'll be available starting April 30 along with a ton of accessories for carrying them and attaching them to just about anything you might not want to lose.

Oliver Haslam
Oliver Haslam
Contributor

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too. Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.