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Apple Releases Major iOS 11.2 Update: What Features Are Included?

This article is more than 6 years old.

Apple

After releasing six betas of iOS 11.2, Apple rolled out the final version today for iPhones, iPads and iPod touch devices. The first iOS 11.2 beta launched on October 30th and the sixth one came out yesterday. iOS 11.2 is considered a major release with new highly anticipated features.

Apple rolled out the iOS 11.2 update at about 4:30AM ET on a Saturday, which is different from its usual iOS release schedule. Generally, Apple pushes out iOS updates at 1PM ET on Tuesdays. According to 9to5Mac, the iOS 11.2 release is believed to have been rushed in order to fix a December 2nd date bug that has been causing devices to crash repeatedly if certain apps using local notifications were installed. Those of you affected by that bug will have to disable notifications by turning on "Do Not Disturb" temporarily to properly install the iOS 11.2 update. If you do not disable notifications, then your device might restart while the iOS 11.2 update is installing and cause even more problems.

iOS 11.2 is the seventh update to iOS 11 following iOS 11.0.1, iOS 11.0.2, iOS 11.0.3, iOS 11.1, iOS 11.1.1 and iOS 11.1.2. But iOS 11.2 is considered the second major update for iOS 11 after iOS 11.1 was released on October 31st.

iOS 11.1.2 patched two issues. The first issue is that iOS 11.1.2 fixed a bug that caused the iPhone X screen to become temporarily unresponsive to touch after a rapid temperature decrease. And the second bug that was fixed is a problem that caused distortion in Live Photos and videos captured with the iPhone X.

iOS 11.1.1 fixed a keyboard auto-correct problem where the letter “i” was converted to an “a” with a question mark symbol next to it. And iOS 11.1.1 also repaired a problem that caused “Hey Siri” to stop working.

iOS 11.1 shipped with over 70 new emoji and Apple also brought back the 3D multitasking gesture in that update. Plus iOS 11.1 also included bug fixes where Live Photo effects played back slowly and caused Mail notifications to reappear on the Lock screen.

iOS 11.0.3 repaired a bug which caused the audio and haptic feedback to become dysfunctional on a number of iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus devices. And iOS 11.0.3 also adjusted an issue that caused the touch input to become unresponsive on some iPhone 6s displays that were not serviced with genuine Apple parts.

iOS 11.0.2 rectified problems that caused crackling noises in the iPhone 8 earpiece, a bug that caused attachments in S/MIME encrypted emails to not work and a bug that blocked photos from appearing.

iOS 11.0.1 corrected bugs that caused synchronization issues in Outlook.com, Office 365 and Exchange Server 2016 running on Windows Server 2016 in Apple Mail. And iOS 11.0.1 contained performance improvements for iMessage app Drawer, Springboard, and App Explorer.

And the massive iOS 11 release took place on September 19th with a plethora of new features. The new iOS 11 features included a customizable Control Center, a new user interface designed specifically for the iPhone X and iPads (multitasking gestures), Do Not Disturb While Driving, a new Files app, document scanning in the Notes app, an app drawer for the Messages app, indoor airport and mall maps, lane guidance in the Maps app and Live Photos editing.

What Is Included In The iOS 11.2 Update?

Apple

The iOS 11.2 update includes the highly anticipated Apple Pay Cash feature, fast wireless charging support, and several bug fixes. In earlier betas of iOS 11.2, there was developer support for the HomePod and AirPlay 2. However, those features were removed in beta 5 of iOS 11.2 as the HomePod device is postponed until 2018.

Apple Pay Cash

Apple

Apple Pay Cash allows users to send and receive money with Apple Pay in the Messages app. This feature is not expected to be available today as Apple plans to roll it out over time. You will likely have access to the feature sometime early next week.

Siri can be used to conduct Apple Pay Cash transactions. And after you receive money, it is stored in your Apple Pay Cash card in the Wallet app -- which can be used for making purchases in stores, within apps, on the web or for transfer to your bank account. There isn’t a fee for using Apple Pay Cash with a debit card, but sending money using a credit card has a standard 3% fee on the amount funded.

Fast Wireless Charging

Apple

iOS 11.2 also comes with faster 7.5W Qi wireless charging. This will benefit those of you with an iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus or an iPhone X. If you have a wireless charger that supports 7.5W or higher, then your device will charge faster since wireless charging was limited to 5W before.

Bug Fixes

Apple iOS 11.2 has a number of bug fixes. iOS 11.2 should fix a problem that caused the iOS keyboard to change “it” to “I.T. Another bug that was fixed in iOS 11.2 is one that prevented fast number typing in the Calculator app. There is a bug fix for a problem where the Mail app would continue checking for new messages unnecessarily. A bug where the Settings app would open up to a blank screen has been fixed. And Apple also repaired problems that prevents users from being able to swipe to the Today View or Camera and control Music from the Lock Screen.

Miscellaneous Features

Apple iOS 11.2 also includes three new Live wallpapers for the iPhone X. iOS 11.2 adds a new indicator at the top right of the screen to help you find the Control Center on the iPhone X. Apple also sharpened the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth indicators. And there are several new redesigned emoji.

In the TV app, Apple added a Sports section to find live sports games easier. This can be accessed from the Sports tab at the bottom:

Screenshot: Amit Chowdhry

You can update to iOS 11.2 by going to the Settings app > General > Software Update or by connecting your device to iTunes. And here is the full changelog that Apple provided with the update:

iOS 11.2 introduces Apple Pay Cash to send, request, and receive money from friends and family with Apple Pay. This update also includes bug fixes and improvements.
Apple Pay Cash (US Only)
- Send, request, and receive money from friends and family with Apple Pay in Messages or by asking Siri
Other improvements and fixes
- Adds support for faster wireless charging on iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X with compatible third-party accessories
- Introduces three new Live wallpapers for iPhone X
- Improves video camera stabilization
- Adds support in Podcasts to automatically advance to the next episode from the same show
- Adds support in HealthKit for downhill snow sports distance as a data type
- Fixes an issue that could cause Mail to appear to be checking for new messages even when a download is complete
- Fixes an issue that could cause cleared Mail notifications from Exchange accounts to reappear
- Improves stability in Calendar
- Resolves an issue where Settings could open to a blank screen
- Fixes an issue that could prevent swiping to Today View or Camera from the Lock Screen
- Addresses an issue that could prevent Music controls from displaying on the Lock Screen
- Fixes an issue that could cause app icons to be arranged incorrectly on the Home Screen
- Addresses an issue that could prevent users from deleting recent photos when iCloud storage is exceeded
- Addresses an issue where Find My iPhone sometimes wouldn’t display a map
- Fixes an issue in Messages where the keyboard could overlap the most recent message
- Fixes an issue in Calculator where typing numbers rapidly could lead to incorrect results
- Addressed an issue where the keyboard could respond slowly
- Adds support for real-time text (RTT) phone calls for the deaf and hard of hearing
- Improves VoiceOver stability in Messages, Settings, App Store, and Music
- Resolves an issue that prevented VoiceOver from announcing incoming Notifications
For information on the security content of Apple software updates, please visit this website:
https://support.apple.com/kb/HT201222

Do you plan to upgrade to iOS 11.2 right away? Please leave a comment!

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