Right on the heels of its Monday media event, Apple has released iOS 12.2 for iPhone and iPad. The software update is a substantial one, but the key addition is Apple News+. Once you’ve installed the update, you will be able to access the News+ tab in the Apple News app and sign up for the $9.99/month subscription service, which includes access to over 300 magazines as well as newspapers. The first month is free, so you can try it right now.
But that’s just one part of a this iOS release. In addition to Apple News+, iOS 12.2 includes new Siri functionality, four new Animoji (owl, boar, giraffe and shark), support for the second-generation AirPods, and a variety of improvements and new features for AirPlay, Apple Pay, Screen Time, Safari, and Apple Music.
“iOS 12.2 provides support for Apple News+, adds the ability for Siri to play videos from your iOS device to
If you want to update your device to iOS 12.2 today, you can do so by heading to Settings > General > Software Update on your device and tapping “Download and Install” at the bottom of the page. You can also apply the update through iTunes by connecting your iOS device to a computer.
Here’s the full list of release notes, so you know exactly what you’re getting when you install iOS 12.2:
Apple News+
- Apple News+ is a new subscription service that extends the Apple News experience with hundreds of magazines and top newspapers
- Our editors handpick top articles and magazine issues, and you also get personalized recommendations on the topics most interesting to you
- Automatic downloads make it easy to read magazine issues offline
- Apple News is now available in Canada, with a free experience that includes handpicked Top Stories, a personalized Today feed, and support for both English and French
- Apple News+ is available in the U.S. and in Canada, with dozens of additional Canadian magazines
Siri
- Ask Siri on your iPhone or iPad to play any video, show, movie, sports game, or channel on
Apple TV . For example, “Hey Siri, play Free Solo on my TV”Animoji
- Four new Animoji—owl, boar, giraffe and shark—are included for iPhone X and later, iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation) and iPad Pro 11-inch
AirPlay
- Dedicated TV controls in Control Center and on the Lock Screen give you quick access to TV controls
- AirPlay multitasking for video allows you to browse other apps, as well as play other short form audio and video files locally on your device without interrupting AirPlay
- AirPlay destinations are now grouped by content type making it faster for you to find what device you want to play to
Apple Pay
- Apple Pay Cash customers can now transfer money to their bank accounts instantly using their Visa debit cards
- Wallet app now conveniently displays Apple Pay credit and debit transactions right below the card
Screen Time
- Downtime can be configured with a different schedule for each day of the week
- A new toggle enables easily turning app limits on or off temporarily
Safari
- Website sign-in now occurs automatically after filling credentials with Password AutoFill
- Warnings now appear when loading unencrypted webpages
- Removes support for the expired Do Not Track standard to prevent potential use as a fingerprinting variable; Intelligent Tracking Prevention now protects against cross-site tracking by default
- Smart Search Field queries can now be modified by tapping the arrow icon next to search suggestions
Apple Music
- The Browse tab shows more editorial highlights on a single page making it easier to discover new music, playlists, and more
AirPods
- Support for new AirPods (2nd generation)
This update also includes other improvements and bug fixes. This update:
- Supports Air Quality Index in Maps for US, UK, and India
- Includes information in Settings on how much time remains on your device’s warranty period
- Supports real-time text (RTT) for phone calls made through a nearby iPhone on iPad and iPod Touch
- Displays a “5G E” icon for iPhone 8 and later, iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation) or iPad Pro 11-inch indicating that users are in an area where AT&T’s 5G Evolution network is available
- Improves quality of audio recordings in Messages
- Improves stability and performance of
Apple TV Remote on iOS- Fixes an issue that prevented some missed calls from appearing in Notification Center
- Addresses an issue where a badge notification could appear on Settings even though no action is needed
- Addresses an issue in Settings > General > iPhone Storage where the storage size of some large apps, the System category, and the Other category in the storage bar graph could be incorrect
- Fixes an issue that could cause Voice Memos to automatically play back recordings after connecting to a car Bluetooth device
- Resolves an issue that could cause Voice Memos to temporarily prevent renaming a recording
