Apple

5 Things to Know About the iOS 14.2 Update

Published

3 years ago

12/10/2020

Apple’s released its iOS 14.2 update and the software brings a variety of changes to the iPhone including new emojis for the keyboard.

Like iOS 14.1, iOS 14.2 is a milestone release which means has new features, security enhancements, and fixes for lingering bugs on board.

iOS 14.2 is compatible with the iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone SE, iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone X, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR, iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max, iPhone SE 2, and the company’s new iPhone 12 models.

Apple’s rolled out a newer iOS 14.2.1 update to iPhone 12 users. The update, which is exclusive to the iPhone 12 series, brings bug fixes to the company’s flagship devices.

With that in mind, we want to take you through everything there is to know about Apple’s latest iOS 14 software update for the iPhone.

In this guide to iOS 14.2 we’ll walk you through iOS 14.2’s changes, the software’s performance, iOS 14 problems, the iOS 14.2 jailbreak status, and more.

We’ll start with iOS 14.2’s performance.

iOS 14.2 Reviews

If your iPhone is currently running iOS 14.1, you’ll see a massive download.

For iOS 14.1 users, the iOS 14.2 update should be somewhere between 800MB and 1GB. The exact download size will vary based on your device and the version of iOS your device is currently running.

If your iPhone is running on an older version of iOS, you’ll probably see an even larger download size because your upgrade will include the features and fixes from iOS updates you skipped.

If your phone is running iOS 14.1, the iOS 14.2 installation should take less than 15 minutes to complete. It took about nine minutes to install on an iPhone X.

For more on the iOS 14.2 download and installation, take a look at our guide.

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We’ve been using the iOS 14.2 update for several weeks now and here’s what we’ve noticed about its performance in key areas.

Connectivity

Battery life is stable.
Wi-Fi connectivity is fast and reliable.
Bluetooth is working normally.
GPS and cellular data are both stable.

Apps

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

Speed

iOS 14.2 feels as fast as iOS 14.1 and iOS 14.0.1.

If your iPhone is struggling on iOS 14.1 or an older version of iOS, you might want to install iOS 14.2 on your iPhone right now. It could stabilize your device’s performance.

If you need help making a decision, please check out our reasons to, and not to, install the iOS 14.2 update. It will help you decide if the upgrade is worth it.

We’ve published our mini iOS 14.2 reviews for the iPhone XS, iPhone XR, iPhone X, iPhone 8, iPhone 7, iPhone 6s, and iPhone SE so check those for additional feedback if you need it.

iOS 14.2 Problems

The iOS 14.2 update is causing problems for some iPhone users. Some problems are brand new, others have carried over from previous versions of iOS.

The current list of iOS 14 issues includes installation problems, lag, Exchange issues, problems with first and third-party apps, hotspot problems, severe battery drain (we’ve seen complaints about bad battery grow in the weeks since its release), touchscreen issues, issues with Touch ID and Face ID, problems with iMessage including missing messages and notifications, charging issues, and various other bugs/performance issues.

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If you run into an issue on iOS 14.2, take a look at our list of fixes for the most common iOS 14 problems. We’ve also released tips that could help you improve your phone’s performance and tips to help fix bad iOS 14 battery life.

If you don’t like iOS 14.2’s performance on your device, note that you can’t downgrade your phone’s software to the previous version of iOS 14.

Apple has stopped signing on iOS 14.1 which means you can’t drop back in an attempt to improve your iPhone’s performance. The company has also stopped signing on iOS 14.0.1, iOS 14.0, and iOS 13.

For more on the downgrade, check out our guide.

iOS 14.2 Update: What’s New

Apple’s x.x updates always bring a mix of features, security patches, and under-the-hood improvements and that’s exactly what you get from iOS 14.2.

Here’s the full list of changes on board iOS 14.2:

New Features

Over 100 new emoji, including animals, food, faces, household objects, musical instruments, gender-inclusive emoji, and more.
Eight new wallpapers in both light and dark mode versions.
Magnifier can detect people nearby, and report their distance using the LiDAR sensor included in ‌iPhone 12 Pro‌ and ‌iPhone 12 Pro‌ Max.
Support for iPhone 12 Leather Sleeve with MagSafe.
Optimized battery charging for ‌AirPods‌ to slow the rate of battery aging by reducing the time your ‌AirPods‌ spends fully charged.
Headphone audio level notifications to alert you when audio level could impact your hearing.
New ‌AirPlay‌ controls to stream entertainment throughout your home.
Intercom support with ‌HomePod‌ and ‌HomePod mini‌ using ‌iPhone‌, ‌iPad‌, Apple Watch, ‌AirPods‌, and ‌CarPlay‌.
Ability to connect ‌HomePod‌ to ‌Apple TV‌ 4K for stereo, surround sound, and Dolby Atmos audio.
Option to provide statistics about Exposure Notifications, without identifying you, to participating Public Health Authorities.

Bug Fixes

Addresses an issue where apps could be out of order on the Home Screen dock.
Addresses an issue where the Camera viewfinder may appear black when launched.
Addresses an issues where the keyboard on the Lock Screen could miss touches when trying to enter the passcode.
Addresses an issue where Reminders could default to times in the past.
Addresses an issue where the Photos widget may not display content.
Addresses an issues where the Weather widget could display the high temperature in Celsius when set to Fahrenheit.
Addresses an issue where the next-hour precipitation chart description in Weather could incorrectly indicate when precipitation stops.
Addresses an issue where Voice Memos recordings are interrupted by incoming calls.
Addresses an issue where the screen could be black during Netflix video playback.
Addresses an issue where Apple Cash could fail to send or receive money when asked via ‌Siri‌.
Addresses an issue where the Apple Watch app may unexpectedly close when opened.
Addresses an issue where workout GPS routes or Health data are prevented from syncing between Apple Watch and ‌iPhone‌ for some users.
Addresses an issue where audio is incorrectly labeled as “Not Playing” in the ‌CarPlay‌ Dashboard.
Addresses an issue where devices could be prevented from charging wirelessly.
Addresses an issue where Exposure Notifications is disabled when restoring ‌iPhone‌ from iCloud Backup or transferring data to a new ‌iPhone‌ using ‌iPhone‌ Migration.

iOS 14.2 also includes a feature that wasn’t included in the official change log. It appears that iPhone 8 models and later have received support for 1080p FaceTime HD video calls over Wi-Fi networks.

The iPhone 12 series is capable of doing the same over 5G and Wi-Fi.

iOS 14.2 also includes 24 security updates and you can read about those on Apple’s security page.

iOS 14 Jailbreak

The developer team behind the Checkra1n jailbreaking tool has released version 0.12.0 which adds support for iOS 14.1 and 14.2

The newest version of the tool now works with A10/A10X devices on iOS 14.x. There’s also limited support for A11-powered devices on iOS 14.x.

If you own an iPhone model with a newer processor, you’ll need to stay on iOS 13 for now.

For more on the iOS 14 jailbreak, head over to checkra1n’s website.

What’s Next

A new version of iOS 14 is in the works and it will push out to iPhone users in the near future.

Apple’s confirmed a new iOS 14.3 milestone upgrade for iPhone. The software is currently in beta testing ahead of an imminent release.

The company says its new Fitness+ service will launch on December 14th. Fitness+ requires iOS 14.3, watchOS 7.2, iPadOS 14.3, and tvOS 14.3.

Apple’s confirmed new AirPods Max headphones. The headphones, which are on sale right now ahead of their December 15th release date, require Apple devices running iOS 14.3 or later, iPadOS 14.3 or later, macOS Big Sur 11.1 or later, watchOS 7.2 or later, or tvOS 14.3 or later.

On top of all that, Apple says the “ECG” app on Apple Watch Series 4, and subsequent models, will be launched in Taiwan via iOS 14.3 and watchOS 7.2 from Tuesday, December 15th.

If you can’t/don’t want to wait for the official release, you can download the iOS 14.3 beta onto your iPhone right now. Most people should download the public iOS 14.3 beta.

For more on iOS 14.3 and the beta, please check out our guide.

4 Reasons Not to Install iOS 14.8.1 & 11 Reasons You Should

Install iOS 14.8.1 for Better Security

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If security is important to you, think about installing iOS 14.8.1 right away.

The iOS 14.8.1 update brings 12 new security patches to the iPhone. You can read about all of them over on Apple's site.

If you want to better protect your iPhone and its data, you'll want to install the iOS 14.8.1 update in the near future.

If you missed iOS 14.8, you'll get its security patches with your upgrade. You can learn more about them right here.

If you missed iOS 14.7.1, you'll get its patch with your upgrade. If you want to learn more about iOS 14.7.1's security update, check out its support page.

If you missed iOS 14.7, you'll get its 31 security patches with your upgrade. You can learn more about those on Apple's website.

If you skipped iOS 14.6, you'll get the update's 38 security patches with your iOS 14.8.1 update. If you're curious about the particulars, you can read about them right here.

If you skipped iOS 14.5.1, you get the update's two security patches on board. You can read about them over on Apple's website. Both are related to WebKit.

If you missed iOS 14.5 you'll get its patches with your upgrade. You can read more about those changes over on Apple's website.

iOS 14.5 also brought Apple's new App Tracking Transparency which lets you control which apps are allowed to track your activity across other companies' apps and websites for ads or sharing with data brokers.

If you skipped iOS 14.4.2, you get its security patch with iOS 14.8.1. You can learn more about that patch over on Apple's website as well.

If you missed iOS 14.4.1, you get its patch with your upgrade to iOS 14.8.1. You can read about that patch right here.

If you skipped iOS 14.4, you get the update's patches with your upgrade. You can learn more about iOS 14.4's security patches right here.

If you skipped iOS 14.3 you'll get its nine security updates with your upgrade. You can read more about them on its security site.

iOS 14.3 also included a new privacy information section on App Store pages that includes a developer-reported summary of the app’s privacy practices.

If you skipped iOS 14.2, your iOS 14.8.1 update includes 24 additional security patches. You can learn more about the patches on Apple's security website.

If you're still running iOS 13, iOS 14.8.1 includes iOS 14.0's security updates.

iOS 14.0 brought 11 new security patches to the iPhone. If you're interested in the exact nature of these improvements, you can read about them over on Apple's website.

In addition to those patches, iOS 14 comes with some security and privacy upgrades including improvements to Home/HomeKit and Safari.

For instance in Safari, you can now tap the Privacy Report button to better understand how websites handle your privacy.

With iOS 14 on board you can now get information on the App Store that will help you understand the privacy practices of apps before you download them.

There is also a new recording indicator that will appear at the top of your screen whenever an app is using your microphone or camera. You can see if an app has used them recently in Control Center.

Researchers also discovered that Apple brought a new "BlastDoor" sandbox security system to iOS 14. The system is meant to prevent attacks from occurring via the Messages app.

You can read more about "BlastDoor" right here.