iOS 14.2 is here with new emoji and wallpapers, long list of bug fixes

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A blue smartphone sits face down on a table.
Enlarge / The iPhone 12, which runs iOS 14, and now (should you choose to update) iOS 14.2.
Samuel Axon

Today, Apple began rolling out iOS 14.2, iPadOS 14.2, tvOS 14.2, and watchOS 7.1 for supported devices. The last update to iOS and iPadOS was iOS 14.1 on October 22.

The new versions of iOS and iPadOS add 100 new emoji, which include “animals, food, faces, household objects, musical instruments, gender-inclusive emoji, and more,” according to the release notes. iPhones and iPads got a new Shazam button in the control center. Shazam, which Apple acquired just over two years ago, identifies songs algorithmically by listening to them with the microphones in the devices. Before the acquisition, it was also used as a sort of audio QR code for marketing activations during TV commercials and the like.

There are also some AirPods-related changes, including variable battery charging to preserve battery longevity (something Apple has already implemented in other devices) and notifications that let you know when your volume level is high enough to cause hearing damage. Apple promised this with iOS 14 when it initially launched.

Finally, there are eight new wallpapers (for dark and light mode, each), new HomePod features and optimizations, and a ton of bug fixes and other minor features and changes.

An update for Apple Watches—watchOS 7.1—also accompanies today’s iOS and iPadOS releases. It adds support for more health tracking features in Russia and Korea, introduces the same headphone volume notification as in iOS/iPadOS, and fixes a couple of bugs.

Here are Apple’s release notes for iOS 14.2:

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 spend 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

This 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

And these are the iPadOS 14.2 release notes, which are mostly similar:

iPadOS 14.2 includes the following improvements for your iPad:

  • 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 iPad Pro 12.9-inch (4th generation) and iPad Pro 11-inch (2nd generation)
  • Scene Detection in Camera uses intelligent image recognition to identify objects within a scene and automatically improves the photo on iPad Air (4th generation)
  • Auto FPS in Camera automatically reduces the frame rate when recording video to improve low-light capture and to optimize file size on iPad Air (4th generation)
  • Optimized battery charging for AirPods to slow the rate of battery aging by reducing the time your AirPods spend fully charged
  • 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

This release also fixes the following issues:

  • 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
  • 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

Finally, here are the notes for watchOS 7.1:

watchOS 7.1 contains new features, improvements, and bug fixes.

  • Adds the ability to be notified when your headphone audio level could impact your hearing
  • Adds support for the ECG app on Apple Watch Series 4 or later in the Republic of Korea and Russia
  • Adds support for irregular heart rhythm notifications in the Republic of Korea and Russia
  • Resolves an issue that prevented some users from unlocking a Mac with Apple Watch
  • Fixes an issue where the screen may be dark on wrist raise for some Apple Watch Series 6 owners.

Additionally, Apple released tvOS 14.2 with bug fixes, iOS 12.4.9 with bug fixes for iPhones not supported by iOS 14, and a minor update for pre-tvOS Apple TV devices. All updates should be available today globally on supported devices.

https://arstechnica.com/?p=1719637