Apple Releases iOS 9.2 With Safari View Controller Improvements, AT&T NumberSync Support and Bug Fixes

ios_9_iconApple today released iOS 9.2 to the public, marking the second major update to the iOS 9 operating system since its September launch. Prior to being released, iOS 9.2 was in testing since late October after being seeded to developers and public beta testers one week after the launch of iOS 9.1.

Today's iOS 9.2 release is available as an over-the-air update to all iOS 9 users. Though it is the second major update, iOS 9.2 is actually the fourth update to iOS 9 in total, following the launches of iOS 9.0.1, iOS 9.0.2, and iOS 9.1. Xcode 7.2 is also available today.

iOS 9.2 includes a huge list of bug fixes, which we've outlined below.

This update contains improvements and bug fixes including:

- Apple Music improvements
--You can now create a new playlist when adding a song to a playlist
--Your most recently changed playlist is now listed at the top when adding songs to playlists
--Download albums or playlists from your iCloud Music Library by tapping the iCloud download button
--See which songs have been downloaded with the new download indicator next to each song in My Music and Playlists
--See works, composers, and performers while browsing Classical music in the Apple Music catalog
- A new Top Stories section in News so you can stay up to date with the most important news of the day (available in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia)
- Mail Drop in Mail for sending large attachments
- iBooks now supports 3D Touch to peek and pop pages from the table of contents, your notes and bookmarks, or from search results inside a book
- iBooks now supports listening to an audiobook while you browse your library, read other books, or explore the iBooks Store
- iPhone support for the USB Camera Adapter to import photos and videos
- Improved stability of Safari
- Improved stability of Podcasts
- Fixing an issue that caused mail attachments to be inaccessible for some users with POP email accounts
- Resolving an issue for some users that caused attachments to overlap text in mail
- Fixing an issue where Live Photos could have turned off after restoring from a previous iCloud backup
- Addressing an issue that could cause search in Contacts to display no results
- Resolving an issue that could have prevented Calendar from displaying all seven days in week view
- Fixing an issue where Camera screen on iPad could be black when attempting to capture video
- Addressing an issue that could cause instability in the Activity app when viewing the day of Daylight Savings Time transition
- Fixing an issue that could prevent data from appearing in Health
- Fixing an issue that could prevent Wallet updates and Lock screen alerts from displaying
- Addressing an issue where updating iOS could prevent an alarm from going off
- Fixing an issue where some users were unable to login to Find my iPhone
- Fixing an issue that prevented some manual iCloud Backups from completing
- Addressing an issue where using the iPad keyboard could unintentionally trigger text selection mode
- Improved keyboard responsiveness when using Quick Reply
- Improved punctuation input on the 10-key Chinese (Pinyin & Stroke) keyboards with new expanded view of punctuation symbols and better predictions
- Fixing an issue on Cyrillic keyboards where caps lock would be enabled when typing in URL or email fields
- Siri support for Arabic (Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates)
- Accessibility improvements
--Fixing issues with VoiceOver when using Camera face detection
--Adding support for VoiceOver to wake up the screen
--Adding support for VoiceOver to invoke app switcher with 3D Touch gesture
--Fixing an issue with Guided Access when trying to end phone calls
--Improved functionality for Switch Control users when using 3D Touch
--Fixing an issue with speech rate of Speak Screen

Beyond bug fixes, iOS 9.2's biggest change is a tweak to the way the Safari View Controller works within third-party apps. The Safari View controller is what allows a pop-up Safari window to be used within third-party apps, and with iOS 9.2, the Safari View Controller supports third-party Action Extensions, letting apps like 1Password to be accessed in the Safari view of other apps like Tweetbot.

safariviewcontroller

In the Hipchat app for iOS, clicking a link brings up an in-app browser. In iOS 9.1, seen on the left, there's no option for third-party extensions. In iOS 9.2, seen on the right, there's support for third-party extensions like 1Password.

The Safari View Controller has also been updated with the ability to long tap on the Reload button to reload content without content blockers and it now supports the request desktop site function and an edge swipe to dismiss the Safari window.

iOS 9.2 also includes support for AT&T's NumberSync Wi-Fi calling feature, allowing AT&T users to accept calls on any device even when their phone is not nearby.

Tag: iOS 9.2
Related Forum: iOS 9

Top Rated Comments

gpsouza Avatar
108 months ago
Now let's wait for 9.3!!
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Jambalaya Avatar
108 months ago
Please fix the lag and unresponsivness on my 6+... Also the screen glitches.
Thanks to the vagueness of your responce I imagine they'll be onto that immediately
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Goaliegeek Avatar
108 months ago
Please fix the lag and unresponsivness on my 6+... Also the screen glitches.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jb-net Avatar
108 months ago
I hope they made the podcasts.app fullscreen on iPad.

EDIT: No. Is nobody at Apple watching video podcasts on an iPad? The white bars on the top and bottom are stupid!
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Dephibio Avatar
108 months ago
Build number is the same as the last beta: 13C75.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
avanpelt Avatar
108 months ago
Here's how you turn on AT&T NumberSync. It wasn't readily apparent after updating to 9.2:

- Update to 9.2
- Go to Settings --> General --> About and you will be prompted to install a carrier update. That took my 6 from 23.0 to 23.1.
- After installing the carrier update, go to Settings --> Phone --> Calls on Other Devices
- You'll have the option in there to activate AT&T NumberSync.

I just activated it and I got a pop up on my Mac and iPhone within about 30 seconds of activating it saying it was ready to use. Now on my iPhone under Settings --> Phone, instead of saying "When Nearby" next to Allow Calls on Other Devices, it simply says "On".

Finally, when I went into FaceTime on my Mac, I was asked if I wanted to enable Wi-Fi calling on this Mac. Also, in FaceTime Preferences on the Mac, there is now the option to update the address used for emergency services.

I just tried it and it seems to work flawlessly. Turned my iPhone off, called my cell number from another phone, and my Mac rang. Kudos to AT&T and Apple!
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iPhone 16 Camera Lozenge 2 Perspective Gray

Five Key Upgrades Coming to iPhone 16

Friday March 15, 2024 1:45 pm PDT by
The iPhone is Apple's top-selling product, and it gets an update every year. In 2024, we're expecting the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro lineup, with an arguably more interesting feature set than we got with the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Capture Button All four iPhone 16 models are set to get a whole new button, which will be...
When To Expect New iPads Feature 1

Apple to Announce New iPads on March 26, Rumors Claim

Monday March 18, 2024 4:02 am PDT by
Apple is widely expected to release new iPad Air and OLED iPad Pro models in the next few weeks. According to new rumors coming out of Asia, the company will announce its new iPads on Tuesday, March 26. Chinese leaker Instant Digital on Weibo this morning 日发布%23">claimed that the date will see some sort of announcement from Apple related to new iPads, but stopped short of calling it an...
airpods 3 orange

Two New AirPods 4 Models Expected to Launch in September or October

Sunday March 17, 2024 7:56 am PDT by
Apple suppliers will begin production of two new fourth-generation AirPods models in May, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Based on this production timeframe, he expects the headphones to be released in September or October. Gurman expects both fourth-generation AirPods models to feature a new design with better fit, improved sound quality, and an updated charging case with a USB-C...
iphone se 4 modified flag edges

iPhone SE 4 Expected to Depreciate Heavily

Tuesday March 12, 2024 9:04 am PDT by
Resale value trends suggest the iPhone SE 4 may not hold its value as well as Apple's flagship models, according to SellCell. According to the report, Apple's iPhone SE models have historically depreciated much more rapidly than the company's more premium offerings. The third-generation iPhone SE, which launched in March 2022, experienced a significant drop in resale value, losing 42.6%...
iOS 17 Passkey With Apple ACCOUNT Feature

'Apple ID' Expected to Change to 'Apple Account' Starting With iOS 18

Sunday March 17, 2024 7:13 am PDT by
MacRumors was first to report that Apple was planning to rebrand "Apple ID" to "Apple Account" across its software platforms and websites like iCloud.com as early as this year, and now Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has corroborated this change. A mockup of the new Apple Account branding In his Power On newsletter today, Gurman said the new "Apple Account" branding will start to be used later this...
General iOS 17 Feature Orange Purple

iOS 17.4.1 Update for iPhone is Imminent

Monday March 18, 2024 5:27 am PDT by
iOS 17.4.1 and iPadOS 17.4.1 should be released within the next few days, with a build number of 21E235, according to a source with a proven track record. MacRumors previously reported that Apple was internally testing iOS 17.4.1. As a minor update for the iPhone, it will likely address software bugs and/or security vulnerabilities. It is unclear if the update will include any other changes. ...