Apple Releases iOS 17.4 Beta 4 Update: New Features and Enhancements

Early this morning, Apple released the fourth beta update for iOS 17.4, just one week after the previous beta release.

The system version number for iOS 17.4 Beta 4 is 21E5209b.

For those who have been testing iOS 17 betas, it’s now time to upgrade to the latest beta version.

If you’re eager to try out iOS 17, you can head to the Apple Fans Club official account, click on “Send Message” at the bottom right, and reply with the keyword “iOS 17” to get the tutorial for early access.

By following the steps to register for the Apple Developer Program for free, you can then go to your iPhone’s “Settings” — “General” — “Software Update” and set “Beta Version Updates” to “iOS 17 Developer Beta” to proceed with the upgrade.

Unlike the previous betas focused mainly on bug fixes, Apple has introduced some practical new features in this iOS 17.4 Beta 4 update.

Without further ado, let’s take a look.

Battery Settings Enhancement

After upgrading the iPhone 15 series to iOS 17.4 Beta 4, one of the most noticeable changes is in the battery settings interface, where the original “Battery Health & Charging” has been split into “Battery Health” and “Charging Optimization” options.

This change is exclusive to the iPhone 15 series, allowing users to view more battery-related status information under the “Battery Health” option.

In addition to the usual battery health and maximum capacity information, users of the iPhone 15 series can now also check the battery cycle count, production date, and initial usage time.

Previously, information such as battery production date and first use time, which were located in “Settings” — “About” — “Device Information,” have now been officially incorporated into the battery settings options for easier access.

Furthermore, Apple has released an official press release providing more details on iPhone battery health performance.

Apple has stated that under ideal conditions, batteries in iPhone 14 and earlier models can retain 80% of their capacity after 500 full charge cycles.

As for the iPhone 15 series, under the same conditions, they can still retain 80% of their capacity after 1000 full charge cycles.

This marks the first time Apple has disclosed the battery performance of the iPhone 15 series, showing a significant improvement compared to previous models.

Image Source: Apple Official Website

It’s worth mentioning that there have been numerous reports from users about the rapid decline in battery health of iPhone 14 series models.

Perhaps this issue caught Apple’s attention, leading to a focused effort to optimize the battery performance of the iPhone 15 series.

As expected, this optimization upgrade for battery performance is likely to be a major theme going forward, making the battery performance of the iPhone 16 series highly anticipated.

Besides the new battery settings interface, Apple has also introduced new changes to the CarPlay feature.

According to official support documents, in iOS 17.4 Beta 4, for vehicles supporting CarPlay, the Apple Maps app will provide a new dashboard experience.

Users can exchange the desired display type between the main screen and dashboard screen by tapping the map configuration button at the top right of the map main screen.

Image Source: Apple Official Website

As per Apple’s previous statements, the new generation of CarPlay will be launched later this year, with a gradually revealed list of supported vehicle models.

These are the main new changes in iOS 17.4 Beta 4.

Have you upgraded to iOS 17.4 Beta 4? How’s your experience so far? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.

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