5 Things to Know About the iOS 12.1.4 Update

Apple’s pushed an iOS 12.1.4 update to iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch users and the new version of iOS 12 comes with a fix for a major FaceTime flaw.

The company promised a quick fix for the FaceTime eavesdropping bug and it delivered. iOS 12.1.4 update is available right now and it’s available for all devices capable of running iOS 12.

iOS 12.1.4 is a tiny maintenance release which means it doesn’t come with much of a change log. If you’re moving up from iOS 12.1.3 you get four security patches. There aren’t any new features on board.

In this guide we’ll take you through iOS 12.1.4’s known changes, iOS 12.1.4 problems, the iOS 12 downgrade status, and what we know about Apple’s next iOS 12 release.

iOS 12.1.4 Reviews

iOS 12.1.4 is much smaller than iOS 12.1.3 in terms of changes and in terms of download size.

If you’re moving your device from iOS 12.1.3, your download should be right around 90MB. iOS 12.1.4 is a 89.6MB download for iPhone X owners and it should be around the same for other devices.

If you’re running an older version of iOS 12, you’ll probably see a larger larger download size because the features and fixes from any updates you skipped are baked into your version of iOS 12.1.4.

Installing iOS 12.1.4 shouldn’t take you more than 5-10 minutes to complete if you’re moving your device from iOS 12.1.3. It took about five minutes to install on Apple’s iPhone X.

For more on the iOS 12.1.4 download and installation, take a look at our guide.

We’ve been using the iOS 12.1.4 update on several devices for an extended period of time and here are our quick impressions:

Connectivity

• Battery life is stable across our devices.
• Wi-Fi is stable and fast.
• Bluetooth is working normally.
• GPS and cellular data are working fine.

Apps

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

Speed

• iOS 12.1.4 feels as fast as iOS 12.1.3.

If you’re dealing with bugs or performance issues on iOS 12.1.3 or an older version of iOS, you’ll want to install iOS 12.1.4.

If you want help making a decision, check out our reasons to, and not to, install the iOS 12.1.4 update on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch right now.

We’ve also published our quick iOS 12.1.4 reviews for the iPhone X, iPhone 8, iPhone 7, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6, iPhone 5s, and iPhone SE so check those for additional feedback.

If you’re having a good experience on iOS 12.1.3 or another version of iOS, you should dig into additional feedback about iOS 12.1.4’s performance.

iOS 12.1.4 Problems

iOS 12.1.4 users are complaining about a variety of bugs and performance issues.

We’re hearing about iOS 12.1.4 download and installation issues, abnormal battery drain, issues with Exchange, connectivity issues, data issues, Touch ID problems, Face ID problems, and issues with first and third-party applications.

iOS 12.1.4 addressed an issue with Group FaceTime but some users are still having issues with Group FaceTime on the new firmware.

Apple’s aware of the issue, but it’s unclear when it will release a fix.

Hey @AppleSupport, I've got a new iPhone (less than 6 months old) and the battery life was great. Software update iOS 12.1.4 was pushed to my device a few days ago and now suddenly my battery drains like CRAZY! What's going on? Battery consumption has near tripled! This is bad.

— Zilla (@beanyzilla) February 15, 2019

iOS 12.1.4! But, last two versions (12.1.3 and 12.1.4) have made made the battery life on my phone worse…

— Rushabh Odedara (@OdedaraRushabh) February 18, 2019

Yo @AppleSupport iOS 12.1.4 drains battery super quick even on eco mode

— Don McLaren (@don_mclaren) February 16, 2019

Hey @Apple, I’m glad you fixed the Group FaceTime bug, but now with iOS 12.1.4 I’m having Bluetooth connectivity issues. Help?

— trashking † (@thiskidoscar) February 8, 2019

If you run into an issue while running iOS 12.1.4 you’ll want to take a peek at our list of fixes for the most common iOS 12 problems. We’ve also released tips to improve iOS 12 performance and tips to improve iOS 12 battery life.

If you can’t stand the iOS 12.1.4 update’s performance on your device, you’re stuck until the next version of iOS 12 rolls out. Apple stopped signing off on iOS 12.1.3 which means you can no longer downgrade to the previous version of iOS 12.

iOS 12.1.4 Update: What’s New

Apple was forced to rush the iOS 12.1.4 update out so the change log is extremely short. It’s focused on fixing the issues with the company’s FaceTime service.

If you’re unfamiliar, the bug lets you call someone via FaceTime and hear the audio coming from their phone before they pick up the phone. That’s obviously a huge privacy issue.

Apple says iOS 12.1.4 takes care of this problem and the update is required if you want to continue using iOS 12’s Group FaceTime feature on your device.

Group FaceTime is permanently disabled on iOS 12.1-12.1.3 so if you want to continue using the feature you’ll need to upgrade your device.

iOS 12.1.4 comes with a few additional security patches and you can read about them here. Again, it doesn’t bring any new features to the iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.

iOS 12.1.4 Jailbreak

Jailbreak developers still haven’t released an iOS 12 jailbreak and it’s unclear if we’ll get one.

The only way you can jailbreak a device right now is if it’s running an older version of iOS 11. Sadly, there’s no way to downgrade to iOS 11.

Jailbreak developers typically haven’t confirmed anything for iOS 12.1.4 so iPhone and iPad users should avoid the update until we have more clarity.

For more on the iOS 12 jailbreak, check out our guide.

What’s Next

The next version of iOS 12 will likely be a milestone upgrade.

Apple’s confirmed a massive iOS 12.2 update and the software is in beta ahead of a release later this year, probably sometime in late March.

The iOS 12.2 update is a milestone release which means it will carry more than just bug fixes and patches. You can expect new features as well.

If you’re struggling on iOS 12.1.4 or want to give iOS 12.2 and its features a try before the official release, you can do so via the iOS 12.2 beta.

The iOS 12.2 beta is available for all devices capable of running iOS 12.

Install iOS 12.5.6 for Better Security

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If you're on the fence, here's one of the best reasons to install iOS 12.5.6 right away. iOS 12.5.6 has a vital security patch on board and it will protect your device(s) from harm. If you want the details, head over to Apple's website. If you missed the iOS 12.5.5 update, it brought three security patches to your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. You can learn more about the trio on Apple's security site.  If you missed iOS 12.5.4, you'll get that update's important security upgrades with your iOS 12.5.6 update. If you're interested in the particulars, head on over to Apple's website for more. If you skipped iOS 12.5.3, you'll get its security patches with your upgrade. Both of its patches were related to WebKit. If you want to learn more about them, head on over to Apple's security site.  If you skipped iOS 12.5.2, you'll also get its security patch with your upgrade. You can read more about it over on Apple's website.  If you also skipped iOS 12.5, you'll also get its patch with your upgrade. Apple's outlined the update's patch in detail on its security site.  If you missed iOS 12.4.9, you'll also get its four security patches with your upgrade. You can read more about those right here.  If you skipped iOS 12.4.7, you also get the update's three security patches (two for the Mail app and one for Wi-Fi) with your upgrade to iOS 12.5.6. If you're running software that's older than Apple's iOS 12.4.4 update, you'll want to download iOS 12.5.6 in the near future because it brings iOS 12.4.4's security patch to your device. You can read about it right here. If you're running software older than iOS 12.4.2, you'll get an its patch with your upgrade. You can read about the security contents of iOS 12.4.2 right here.  If you're on software that's older than iOS 12.4.1, you'll get iOS 12.4.1's security patch with your iOS 12.5.6 update. You can read about that patch right here.  If you're on software that's older than iOS 12.4, you get iOS 12.4's patches with your iOS 12.5.6 update.  iOS 12.4 brought 19 security patches to the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. If you're interested in the specifics, you can read about them on Apple's security site.  If you're running software older than iOS 12.3, your iOS 12.5.6 update carries iOS 12.3's security patches on board. The iOS 12.3 update brought 23 patches and you can read about all of them right here on Apple's site.  If you're on software that's older than iOS 12.2, you'll get iOS 12.2's security patches with your version of iOS 12.5.6. iOS 12.2 brought a whopping 41 security patches to iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. You can read more about the iOS 12.2's patches over on the company's website.  It's important to note that Apple's iOS 12.2 update patched up an exploit that allowed websites to use motion sensors to "fingerprint" devices. The exploit, discovered by researchers in Europe, uses JavaScript to snag data from a device's accelerometer, gyroscope, and magnetometer when the user visits an infected website. If the attack is successful, a device can be tracked around the internet.  Fortunately, Apple's patched up the issue. If you skipped it, you'll probably want to move to iOS 12.5.6 soon. If you're on software older than iOS 12.1.4, you get four important security patches including fixes for a widespread FaceTime eavesdropping bug that lets you call someone via FaceTime and hear the audio coming from their phone before they pick up the phone. If you're on software older than iOS 12.1.3, you get some additional patches with your version of iOS 12.5.6. Again, they're baked into your upgrade. Apple lists a grand total of 23 patches on board iOS 12.1.3 and you can read about all of them over on Apple's website.  If you're on software older than iOS 12.1.1, you should install the iOS 12.5.6 update on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch today.  The iOS 12.1.1 update brought 17 patches for potential security exploits. They'll will help protect your phone. You can read about them here. If you're running software older than iOS 12.1, you'll get 24 patches from that update with your version of iOS 12.5.5. If you're on software that's older than iOS 12.0.1, your iOS 12.5.6 update brings two additional patches. Both patches are for potential lock screen exploits. Long story long, if you store sensitive data on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, you have some really good reasons to upgrade to iOS 12.5.6 today.

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