Apple Releases Fifth Developer Beta of iOS 12.2 [Update: Public Beta Available]

Apple today seeded the fifth beta of an upcoming iOS 12.2 update to developers for testing purposes, one week after seeding the fourth beta of iOS 12.2 and more than a month after the release of iOS 12.1.4.

Registered developers can download the new iOS 12.2 beta from Apple's Developer Center or over-the-air once the proper configuration profile has been installed from the Developer Center.

ios12banner
iOS 12.2 expands Apple News to Canada for the first time, with Canadian iPhone and iPad users able to read news stories in English, French, or both. Apple says that during the beta, content will be more limited than it will be when the update is released.

applenewscanada
There are four new Animoji included the iOS 12.2 beta, including a boar, a shark, a giraffe, and an owl. Animoji can be used within the Messages and FaceTime apps.

newanimojicharacters
The software introduces support for AirPlay 2 and HomeKit on third-party TVs in light of recent AirPlay 2 announcements, with a new option for limiting TV access joining the speaker access option in the Home app. There's also a redesigned TV remote in Control Center, and when paired with tvOS 12.2, you can ask Siri to play specific TV shows, movies, and music on your ‌HomeKit‌ devices like the Apple TV.

tvremotenewinterface
For some AT&T users, there's a new "5G E" icon for the cellular signal, replacing the standard LTE icon. This is a bit misleading of AT&T, because the ‌iPhone‌ does not support 5G, nor is the network AT&T calls 5G E actual 5G. Instead, it's an upgraded version of LTE, with more info available here.

The Wallet app's interface has been streamlined and tweaked, there's a new interface for Apple Pay Cash, and the Downtime feature in Screen Time now allows you to customize by day. Apple has also made minor changes to some icons (including Apple News, ‌AirPlay‌, and Remote in Control Center) and has introduced new Safari features, with a full list of changes introduced throughout the beta testing period available in our iOS 12.2 tidbits post.

heysiriairpodsfeature
Apple is improving Safari's privacy in iOS 12.2 through a new Motion & Orientation toggle located under Settings > Safari > Privacy >Security, which is disabled by default. The setting needs to be enabled on to allow websites to display content that relies on motion data from the accelerometer and gyroscope in the ‌iPhone‌ and ‌iPad‌.

iOS 12.2 confirms that Apple is planning to release second-generation AirPods with "Hey ‌Siri‌" support, thanks to a hidden "Hey ‌Siri‌" AirPods setup screen in the beta. The inclusion of the AirPods setup option in the beta indicates that Apple could perhaps be planning to release new AirPods when iOS 12.2 is released.

The update also features hints of an upcoming Apple News subscription service, which could see a Texture-like magazine service added to ‌Apple News‌. The ‌Apple News‌ subscription service is expected to be introduced at an upcoming March 25 event, and we could see iOS 12.2 released shortly afterwards.

What's new in iOS 12.2 beta 5: In iOS 12.2, when setting up a new Apple Watch, Apple is using location to make sure the ECG feature is available in a particular region, suggesting the company may be planning to geofence ECG functionality and limit it to the United States.

This would potentially prevent customers who purchased a U.S. Apple Watch but live in another country from using the ECG feature. Location is verified via SIM card and can't be bypassed during Apple Watch setup. 9to5Mac says there are also hints of upcoming changes to Wallet to support the integration of a new Goldman Sachs credit card and indications that work on AirPower is continuing.

Related Forum: iOS 12

Top Rated Comments

alphaswift Avatar
66 months ago
Does anyone over the age of 12 use Animojis? Why does Apple continue to spend money on this? Give me an accessible file system instead of a shark face.
Score: 29 Votes (Like | Disagree)
suedehed Avatar
66 months ago
Does anyone over the age of 12 use Animojis? Why does Apple continue to spend money on this? Give me an accessible file system instead of a shark face.
I get your point on the apparent uselessness of them. However, as a dad of 2, they are priceless.. I spend half the year traveling for work, and they love when I use them in facetime conversations. So yea, they aren't solving world hunger, or making iOS better, but they absolutely make my kids laugh so they do extend the usefulness for me.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
realtuner Avatar
66 months ago
The problem is not that Animoji's are an infantile gimmick –it's that all recent updates seem to be revolving around infantile gimmicks like Animoji's. Why can't we have both advanced features and playful little nothings?
Funny, I read the releases notes and it didn’t appear to revolve around Animoji’s at all. There are a lot of tweaks and features along with multiple security bug fixes.

Seems like it’s a few users who try to spin this release as being about Animoji, for whatever reason.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jonnyb098 Avatar
66 months ago
Funny, I read the releases notes and it didn’t appear to revolve around Animoji’s at all. There are a lot of tweaks and features along with multiple security bug fixes.

Seems like it’s a few users who try to spin this release as being about Animoji, for whatever reason.
Haters gonna hate because Animoji, while not a major feature, is the most tangible to millions of users outside of the geekdom.

Anyone arguing against them could also argue why millions and millions of people use snapchat filters. Get over it. Its the world we live in , people love this stuff. Its accessible to all ages and hilarious as hell when you put something like animoji in front of older people. Whats wrong with something thats simply.....fun?
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ipedro Avatar
66 months ago
Does anyone over the age of 12 use Animojis? Why does Apple continue to spend money on this?
Yes.

Not every feature is built for you. The teen to 30 year old crowd is the demographic that influences pop culture and drives spending so it’s no surprise that they focus on them and not the grumpy curmudgeons who frequent this site and do nothing but complain.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
realtuner Avatar
66 months ago
Sadly, so many adults become sclerotic in their ways as they get older, and lose the ability of being lighthearted, happy, and joyful. For them, it's much easier to maintain a sense of constant outrage.
I’m proud of the fact that at 55 I still get people telling me to act my age. Sorry, no. I’ll act how I feel/want. And if I want to send a poop Animoji to someone as a joke I’m going to, damn what anyone else says.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

reset password request iphone

Warning: Apple Users Targeted in Phishing Attack Involving Rapid Password Reset Requests

Tuesday March 26, 2024 4:34 pm PDT by
Phishing attacks taking advantage of Apple's password reset feature have become increasingly common, according to a report from KrebsOnSecurity. Multiple Apple users have been targeted in an attack that bombards them with an endless stream of notifications or multi-factor authentication (MFA) messages in an attempt to cause panic so they'll respond favorably to social engineering. An...
maxresdefault

Apple to Launch New iPad Pro and iPad Air Models in May

Thursday March 28, 2024 11:07 am PDT by
Apple will introduce new iPad Pro and iPad Air models in early May, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Gurman previously suggested the new iPads would come out in March, and then April, but the timeline has been pushed back once again. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Apple is working on updates to both the iPad Pro and iPad Air models. The iPad Pro models will...
Generic iOS 18 Feature Purple

iOS 18: What to Expect From 'Biggest' Update in iPhone's History

Wednesday March 27, 2024 11:10 am PDT by
At least some Apple software engineers continue to believe that iOS 18 will be the "biggest" update in the iPhone's history, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Below, we recap rumored features and changes for the iPhone. "The iOS 18 update is expected to be the most ambitious overhaul of the iPhone's software in its history, according to people working on the upgrade," wrote Gurman, in a r...
maxresdefault

Apple Announces WWDC 2024 Event for June 10 to 14

Tuesday March 26, 2024 10:02 am PDT by
Apple today announced that its 35th annual Worldwide Developers Conference is set to take place from Monday, June 10 to Friday, June 14. As with WWDC events since 2020, WWDC 2024 will be an online event that is open to all developers at no cost. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. WWDC 2024 will include online sessions and labs so that developers can learn about new...
apple maps 3d feature

Apple Maps May Gain Custom Routes With iOS 18

Tuesday March 26, 2024 3:10 pm PDT by
Apple may be planning to add support for "custom routes" in Apple Maps in iOS 18, according to code reviewed by MacRumors. Apple Maps does not currently offer a way to input self-selected routes, with Maps users limited to Apple's pre-selected options, but that may change in iOS 18. Apple has pushed an iOS 18 file to its maps backend labeled "CustomRouteCreation." While not much is revealed...
General iOS 17 Feature Orange Purple

Apple Releases Revised Versions of iOS 17.4.1 and iPadOS 17.4.1 With Updated Build Number

Wednesday March 27, 2024 5:59 am PDT by
Apple on late Tuesday released revised versions of iOS 17.4.1 and iPadOS 17.4.1 with an updated build number of 21E237, according to MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris. The updates previously had a build number of 21E236. The revised updates are available for all iPhone and iPad models that are compatible with iOS 17 and iPadOS 17, but they can only be installed via the Finder app on macOS...
applephilschiller

Apple's Phil Schiller Works 80 Hours a Week Overseeing App Store

Wednesday March 27, 2024 2:03 pm PDT by
With the App Store and app ecosystem undergoing major changes in the European Union, The Wall Street Journal today shared a profile on App Store chief Phil Schiller, who is responsible for the App Store. Though Schiller transitioned from marketing chief to "Apple Fellow" in 2020 to take a step back from Apple and spend more time on personal projects and friends, he is reportedly working...