After a few weeks of beta testing, Apple has released the iOS 14.2 and iPadOS 14.2 update for the public. This is the first major point release of iOS 14 that contains some new features and changes. Below is a look at all the changes that iOS 14.2 and iPadOS 14.2 bring to all compatible iPhones and iPad.
With iOS 14.2, Apple is adding deeper Shazam integration to the OS. Additionally, it brings new emoji, a number of bug fixes, and more. Check out everything that’s new in iOS 14.2 and iPadOS 14.2 below. iPad Air owners should also see a number of iPhone 12 features like Scene Detection and Auto FPS in the camera app.
iOS 14.2 and iPadOS 14.2: What’s New
Shazam Integration
Apple officially acquired Shazam back in late 2018 and with iOS 14.2, the company is finally building on its acquisition by integrating Shazam right into the OS. There’s a new Music Recognition feature whose toggle can be added to the Control Center. Then whenever a user wants to quickly recognize a song that’s playing, they can simply tap that Control Center button.
This feature can identify songs playing not just around you but also within apps or the ones playing on your AirPods or other Bluetooth devices.
People Detection
There’s a new accessibility feature in iOS 14.2 as well. The “People Detection” feature in the Magnifier app will use the camera to let iPhone users with poor vision to know how far other people are from them. A toggle for this feature can be added to the Control Center.
Music Suggestion in Control Center
When not playing music, the Music widget in Control Center will suggest music for playback in a stunning new UI.
Tweaked Watch App Icon
Apple has also tweaked the Watch app icon in iOS 14.2. The watch band now has a sleeker look to match the new Solo Loop band introduced by the company at its Time Flies event.
New Emoji
iOS 14.2 is introducing new Emoji 13 characters for iPhones and iPad. The emoji was first previewed as a part of World Emoji Day.
Intercom Support
Apple first announced the Intercom feature for Siri when it announced the HomePod mini. With the iOS 14.2 update, the company is bringing the Intercom feature to all iPhones. Using this, iPhone users can turn their other Apple devices like HomePod, Apple Watch, and AirPods into an intercom.
Optimized Battery Charging for AirPods
Apple is debuting the Optimized Battery Charging feature from iPhone to the AirPods with the iOS 14.2 update. This will reduce battery aging on the AirPods by slowly charging the AirPods when once their battery is near 100%.
Headphone Safety
Apple is renaming the “Reduce Loud Sounds” feature in iOS 14 to “Headphone Safety” with iOS 14.2. This will provide users with a notification whenever the volume output from the headphones they are using is too high that it can impact their hearing.
HomePod As Speaker Output for Apple TV 4K
Apple is finally allowing Apple TV 4K owners to set the HomePod as the default speaker output. Users have the option of enjoying sound in stereo, surround, and Dolby Atmos audio in this setup.
New Wallpapers
iOS 14.2 also comes with new wallpapers that are available in both light and dark variants.
Below is the full iOS 14.2 release notes from Apple highlighting everything that’s new and the bug fixes.
iOS 14.2 includes the following improvements for your iPhone:
– 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 AuthoritiesThis release also fixes the following issues:
– Apps could be out of order on the Home Screen dock
– Camera viewfinder may appear black when launched
– The keyboard on the Lock Screen could miss touches when trying to enter the passcode
– Reminders could default to times in the past
– Photos widget may not display content
– Weather widget could display the high temperature in Celsius when set to Fahrenheit
– Next-hour precipitation chart description in Weather could incorrectly indicate when precipitation stops
– Voice Memos recordings are interrupted by incoming calls
– The screen could be black during Netflix video playback
– Apple Cash could fail to send or receive money when asked via Siri
– Apple Watch app may unexpectedly close when opened
– Workout GPS routes or Health data are prevented from syncing between Apple Watch and iPhone for some users
– Audio is incorrectly labeled as “Not Playing” in the CarPlay Dashboard
– Devices could be prevented from charging wirelessly
– Exposure Notifications is disabled when restoring iPhone from iCloud Backup or transferring data to a new iPhone using iPhone Migration
iOS 14.2 is a relatively big update for iPhones and iPads. If you have noticed any other changes in the update that’s not mentioned above, do drop a comment and let us know about it!
