5 Things to Know About the iOS 12.2 Update

Apple’s iOS 12.2 update is out of beta and the milestone upgrade is now available for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch users around the world.

iOS 12.2 is much bigger than the previous version of iOS 12 (iOS 12.1.4) and comes with a long list of changes including bug fixes, patches, enhancements, and new features.

If you’re moving from iOS 12.1.4 to iOS 12.2, you get the shortest list of changes. If you’re moving from iOS 12.1.3 or an older version of iOS 12, you get a much longer list thanks to the updates you skipped.

In this guide we’ll take you through iOS 12.2’s known changes, iOS 12.2 problems, the iOS 12 downgrade status, and what we know about Apple’s next iOS 12 release.

iOS 12.2 Reviews

iOS 12.2 requires a fairly sizable chunk of space on your internal storage.

If you’re moving your device from iOS 12.1.4, your download should be right around 800MB. iOS 12.2 is a 824.3MB download for iPhone X owners.

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

If you’re currently running iOS 12.1.4, installing the iOS 12.2 update should take most 10 minutes or less. It took about eight minutes to install on the iPhone X.

For more on the iOS 12.2 download and installation, take a look at our guide.

We’ve been using the iOS 12.2 update on several iPhone models for an extended period of time and here’s what we’ve learned thus far:

Connectivity

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

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 12.2 still feels as fast as iOS 12.1.4.

If you’re dealing with bugs or performance issues on iOS 12.1.4 or an older version of iOS, you should think about installing the iOS 12.2 update.

If you need help making a decision, check out our reasons to, and not to, install the iOS 12.2 update on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch right now.

We’ve also published short iOS 12.2 reviews for the iPhone X, iPhone 8, iPhone 7, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6, iPhone 5s, and iPhone SE so check those for feedback if you need it.

If you’re having a great experience on iOS 12.1.4 or an older version of iOS, make sure you dig into additional feedback before making the move to iOS 12.2.

iOS 12.2 Problems

Many iOS 12.2 users are running into bugs and performance issues.

We’re hearing about iOS 12.2 download and installation issues, weird battery drain, connectivity issues, data issues, Touch ID problems, Face ID problems, issues with Exchange, problems with apps, reboots, crashes, and lag.

If you run into an issue while running iOS 12.2 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 12.2 update’s performance on your device, you’re on your own until Apple rolls out a new version of iOS 12.

Apple stopped signing on iOS 12.1.4 which means you can no longer use a loophole to downgrade to the previous version of iOS 12.

Fortunately, it looks like Apple’s next batch of bug fixes will probably arrive sometime later this month.

iOS 12.2 Update: What’s New

iOS 12.2 is a milestone upgrade which means it brings a nice mix of features, bug fixes, under-the-hood improvements, and security patches for potential exploits.

One key feature on board the iOS 12.2 update is Apple News for Canada. Apple News in Canada supports both English and French and readers gain access to a bilingual experience if they follow a channel in a second language.

Apple’s improved the quality of the audio messages sent in the Messages app in iOS 12.2. The company’s switched to a new Opus codec at 24000 Hz. With iOS 12.2 on board, .CAF files will sound a lot better.

The iOS 12.2 update also brings a new Motion & Orientation Access toggle that’s turned on by default. This toggle has to be switched on in order for websites to display features that rely on the motion data from the gyroscope and accelerometer.

With the release of iOS 12.2, app developers can now offer discounted subscriptions to past subscribers as a way to get those customers back. The company recently confirmed the plans on its App Store Connect site. Here’s how it works:

• Free
  Customers access your subscription for free for a specific duration — for example, a 30-day trial for a subscription with a standard renewal price of $4.99 per month.
• Pay As You Go
  Customers pay a promotional price for each billing period for a selected duration — for example, $1.99 per month for three months for a subscription with a standard renewal price of $9.99 per month.
• Pay Up Front
  Customers pay a one-time promotional price for a specific duration — for example, $9.99 for the first six months of a subscription with a standard renewal price of $39.99 per year.

It also includes a fix for lingering Group FaceTime issues and additional security patches. You can read about those patches right here.

Here’s the full iOS 12.2 change log:

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

HomePod

• iOS 12.2 includes support for joining most enterprise or university campus 802.1x networks that do not require unique credentials to join.

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)

The iOS 12.2 update also includes other improvements and bug fixes including:

• 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

iOS 12.2 Jailbreak

Jailbreak developers haven’t released an iOS 12.2 jailbreak and it’s unclear if we’ll get one in 2019.

The only way you can jailbreak a device right now is if it’s running an older version of iOS (iOS 11-iOS 12.1.2). Unfortunately, there’s no way to downgrade.

Jailbreak developers haven’t confirmed anything for iOS 12.2 so iPhone and iPad users should avoid the update until we have more clarity.

What’s Next

The next version of iOS 12 is another big upgrade.

Apple’s confirmed a iOS 12.3 update and the software is in beta testing ahead of a release later this year. We expect the software to touch down sometime in May ahead of the iOS 13 reveal at WWDC 2019 in early June.

The iOS 12.3 update is a milestone release which means it will carry more than just bug fixes and patches. You can expect some new features as well. The beta features major changes to the Apple TV application.

If you’re struggling on iOS 12.2 or simply want to give iOS 12.3 and its changes a try before the official release, you can do so via the iOS 12.3 beta.

The iOS 12.3 beta is available for all iOS 12-powered devices.

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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