Apple releases iOS 12.2 update with Apple News Plus support and new Animoji

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iPhone and iPad owners, it’s time to update.

Apple today released iOS 12.2 to the public. The update is available to the iPhone 5s and later and the iPad Air and later, and you can also install it on the sixth generation iPod touch if you’ve got one of those. You can update by going into Settings > General > Software Update on your device.

So what’s new? There are four new Animoji available on the iPhone X and later as well as the iPad Pro models. The new Animoji characters include an owl, a boar, a giraffe, and a shark. The iOS 12.2 update also brings support for the new AirPods that Apple introduced last week.

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Diving deeper, Apple says that you can now ask Siri on your iPhone or iPad to play a video on your Apple TV. AirPlay users will now get dedicated TV controls in Control Center and on the lock screen, too, and there’s improved stability and performance of the Apple TV Remote as well.

Other notable features packed into this update include support for the new Apple News+ service, an improved Wallet app that’ll show Apple Pay debit and credit transactions below the card, support for Air Quality Index in Apple Maps in the U.S., and a fix for a bug that could cause some missed calls from appearing in Notification Center.

The full iOS 12.2 changelog is available below. Once you update to iOS 12.2, be sure to share your first impressions with us!

 

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 avialable 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

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 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 U.S., U.K., 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

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