Apple releases iOS 16.2 and iPadOS 16.2 with Freeform, Apple Music Sing, Advanced Data Protection and more

Apple today released iOS 16.2, the second major update to the iOS 16 operating system which was released in September. iOS 16.2 arrives more than a month after the launch of iOS 16.1, an update that added support for Live Activities, Matter, iCloud Shared Photo Library, and more.

Apple’s ‌‌iOS 16‌‌.2 update can be downloaded to eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. Propagating updates to all users may take a few minutes due to high demand. Note that Apple has also released iOS 15.7.2 for iPhone users who have older devices, with the update offering security improvements.

Today’s iOS 16.2 and iPadOS 16.2 updates bring several notable features to ‌iOS 16‌ and iPadOS 16, including the Freeform app, which is a kind of digital whiteboard you can use for anything, while working collaboratively with friends and colleagues.

It includes the Apple Music karaoke feature called “Sing”, it introduces advanced data protection for end-to-end encryption for more ‌iCloud‌ features, and more. On the iPad, the update brings support for external displays to the iPad M1 and M2.

Apple’s full release notes for the iOS update are below:

free form
– Freeform is a new app for working creatively with friends or colleagues on Mac, iPad and iPhone
– A flexible canvas allows you to add files, images, stickies, etc.
Drawing tools allow you to draw anywhere on the canvas with your finger

Apple Music sing
– A new way to sing along to millions of your favorite songs in Apple Music
– Fully adjustable voices let you duet with the original artist, sing solo, or mix and match
– Newly improved beat-by-beat lyrics make it even easier to follow the music

Advanced Data Protection for iCloud
– The new option brings the total number of iCloud data categories protected using end-to-end encryption to 23, including iCloud backup, Notes and Photos, protecting your information even in the event of a security breach. cloud data

Lock screen
– New settings allow you to hide wallpaper or notifications when always-on display is enabled on iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max
– Sleep widget lets you view your most recent sleep data
– Medications widget lets you view reminders and quickly access your schedule

game center
– SharePlay support in Game Center for multiplayer games so you can play with people you FaceTime with
– Activity widget lets you see what your friends are playing and doing in games right from your home screen

AppleTV
– The Live Activities app for Apple TV lets you follow your favorite teams with live scores right on your lock screen or in Dynamic Island on iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max

House
– Improved reliability and efficiency of communication between your smart home accessories and Apple devices

This update also includes the following improvements and bug fixes:
– Improved search in Messages lets you find photos based on their content, like a dog, car, person, or text
– The Disable IP Address Masking setting allows iCloud Private Relay users to temporarily disable the service for a specific site in Safari
– News articles in Weather display relevant information about the weather in that location
– Participant sliders in notes let you see live indicators when others are making updates in a shared note
– AirDrop now automatically reverts to contacts only after 10 minutes to prevent unwanted requests from receiving content
– Optimizations of collision detection on iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro models
– Fixes an issue that prevents some notes from syncing with iCloud after updates

Some features may not be available in all regions or on all Apple devices. For more information about the security content of Apple software updates, please visit this website:
https://support.apple.com/kb/HT201222

Apple also has a few ‌iPad‌-specific notes:

Manager
– External display support with resolutions up to 6K available on 12.9-inch iPad Pro (5th gen and later), 11-inch iPad Pro (3rd gen and later), and iPad Air (5th gen)
– Drag and drop files and windows from your compatible device to your connected display, and vice versa
– Support for using up to 4 apps on the iPad screen and 4 on the external display

iPad specific features and fixes
– Tracking notifications alert you if an AirTag separated from its owner is nearby and has recently played a chime to indicate it is moving
– Fixes an issue that could cause Multi-Touch gestures to become unresponsive when using the Zoom accessibility feature

Following the launch of iOS 16.2 and iPadOS 16.2, Apple may soon launch the first betas of iOS 16.3 and iPadOS 16.3, giving us a preview of the new features we can expect to see in the new year.