Everything New in iOS 11.2.5: Siri Audio News, HomePod Support, New Control Center Music Interface and More

Apple this morning officially released the iOS 11.2.5 update to the public, introducing support for the upcoming HomePod smart speaker, which is set to be released on February 9.

In addition to adding support for HomePod, the update also introduces several HomePod-related features such as Siri podcast-based audio news reports and a new music interface, along with bug fixes and security improvements. Check the video and post below for everything that's new in iOS 11.2.5.


Today's update introduces official support for podcast-based audio Siri news reports, a feature that first began rolling out on all devices last week.

When you ask Siri about the news of the day via Hey Siri or another hands-free method, the new feature allows the personal assistant to provide Podcast news from sources like NPR, Fox News, CNN, or The Washington Post.

While asking Siri about the news of the day will provide generic news updates from the aforementioned sources, you can also ask for more specific news about topics like sports, business, and music. Sports news provides podcasts from ESPN or NBC, business news offers podcasts from Bloomberg or CNBC, while music news offers Apple Music Beats 1 content.

sirisportsnews
Siri podcast news is available in the United States, Australia, and the UK, the three countries where the HomePod is launching in February. Siri news can be accessed on devices in other countries according to Apple's release notes for the iOS 11.2.5 update, but content will only be provided in English and the feature appears to be incomplete in unsupported countries.

The only significant outward-facing change introduced in iOS 11.2.5 brings a new layout for audio controls. When accessing the music widget on an iPhone or iPad, when you 3D Touch or press on the icon in the upper right hand side, all available audio playback sources are now listed as separate tiles.

controlcenterios1125newinterface
Tapping on one of the audio sources, such as an Apple TV, allows audio to be played on the device and controlled separately from the iPhone. Using this feature, you can listen to music on one device, like the Apple TV, without interfering with audio playing on the iPhone.

Today's update introduces new functionality for the VoiceOver accessibility feature in iOS devices, allowing it to announce playback destinations and AirPod battery level.

Other, smaller improvements and bug fixes were also included in iOS 11.2.5, addressing issues in Mail, Messages, and CarPlay. From Apple's official release notes:

- Addresses an issue that could cause the Phone app to display incomplete information in the call list
- Fixes an issue that caused Mail notifications from some Exchange accounts to disappear from the Lock screen when unlocking iPhone X with Face ID
- Addresses an issue that could cause Messages conversations to temporarily be listed out of order
- Fixes an issue in CarPlay where Now Playing controls become unresponsive after multiple track changes

The iOS 11.2.5 update can be downloaded for free on all eligible devices over-the-air using the Settings app. To access the update, go to Settings --> General --> Software update.

Related Forum: iOS 11

Popular Stories

Apple Glass

Apple Smart Glasses: Everything We Know So Far

Wednesday May 21, 2025 8:21 am PDT by
Google recently made waves by showcasing a set of lightweight smart glasses featuring deep Gemini integration and an optional in-lens display. The demo has reignited interest in Apple's own smart glasses project, which has been the subject of rumors for nearly a decade. Here's a recap of where things stand. Current Development Status Apple is actively working on new chips specifically...
Apple Glasses Purple Feature

Apple Smart Glasses Launching in 2026

Thursday May 22, 2025 12:22 pm PDT by
Apple is planning to launch a set of smart glasses by the end of 2026, reports Bloomberg. The glasses will be comparable to the Meta Ray-Bans and the Android XR glasses that Google showed off earlier this week. Apple's smart glasses are expected to include cameras, microphones, and AI capabilities, much like the Meta Ray-Bans. The glasses will be able to take photos, record video, provide...
Apple CarPlay Ultra instrument cluster themes 01

Apple's CarPlay Ultra Is Here – Does Your iPhone Support It?

Thursday May 15, 2025 5:17 am PDT by
Apple's recently announced CarPlay Ultra promises a deeply integrated in-car experience, but not all iPhone users will be able to take advantage of the new feature. According to Apple's press release, CarPlay Ultra requires an iPhone 12 or later running iOS 18.5 or later. This means if you're using an iPhone 11, iPhone XR, or any older model, you'll need to upgrade your device to access...
maxresdefault

OpenAI Buys Jony Ive's AI Startup to 'Completely Reimagine What It Means to Use a Computer'

Wednesday May 21, 2025 10:27 am PDT by
OpenAI is acquiring io, the hardware-based AI startup co-created by Jony Ive, OpenAI announced today. Ive has been working with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman on io for two years, and the duo expects to develop a family of AI devices. In a video shared by OpenAI, Altman and Ive outlined their partnership and what they expect to create as a result of the merger. "I have a growing sense that everything ...
iPod shuffle generations

Kuo: Jony Ive's Futuristic OpenAI Device Like a Neck-Worn iPod Shuffle

Thursday May 22, 2025 8:05 am PDT by
The big news in the technology world this week is that ChatGPT maker OpenAI is working more closely with Apple's former design chief Jony Ive on a futuristic AI device. The company is remaining tight lipped about the device, but Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has shared some alleged details about its design. In a social media post today, Kuo said the device will be "slightly larger" ...
WWDC 2025 Banner

Apple Announces WWDC 2025 Schedule, Including Keynote Time

Tuesday May 20, 2025 8:13 am PDT by
Apple today announced a more detailed schedule for its annual developers conference WWDC, which runs from June 9 through June 13. The schedule confirms that Apple's keynote will begin on Monday, June 9 at 10 a.m. Pacific Time, with a live stream to be available on Apple.com, in the Apple TV app, and on YouTube. During the keynote, Apple is expected to announce iOS 19, iPadOS 19, macOS 16,...
macOS 16 visionOS Inspired Feature 1

macOS 16: Everything We Know So Far

Tuesday May 20, 2025 7:31 am PDT by
The Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), Apple's annual developer and software-oriented event, is less than three weeks away. We haven't heard a great deal about macOS 16 ahead of its announcement this year, so we could be in for some major surprises when June 9 rolls around. Here's what we know so far about the next major update to Apple's Mac operating system. macOS 16 Name? Every year ...

Top Rated Comments

Baymowe335 Avatar
96 months ago
6s here, runs beautifully with 11.2.5!
Can't be true! Every iPhone 6s is unusable and slow because every phone was impacted and has a defective battery.

Oh wait, you live in reality...sorry.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
GTO Avatar
96 months ago
..... and it doesn’t include that throttling switch which i’ve been waiting for.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
e1me5 Avatar
96 months ago
6s here, runs beautifully with 11.2.5!
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MrGuder Avatar
96 months ago
The control panel is still way too busy looking. I still prefer my iOS 9.3.5 control panel. No, still not updating.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
err404 Avatar
96 months ago
That sounds really interesting. I hope this makes Airplay functionally closer to to how Chromecast works. Meaning that casting content doesn’t completely take over your phone.
When I get home I want to try casting a video to the TV and watching a different video on my phone.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
lyleberman Avatar
96 months ago
Weird...I have and even connected to my 4k ATV, and I don't see anything like this. The tiles and options to change output just don't show up for me. Tried playing audio from a few different apps on the phone and output to the ATV. It all works fine, I just don't get the extra options referenced in the article here.
Same thing for me. I have an Apple TV 4K and an Airport express hooked up to my stereo. No tiles. Just the same old (awkward) interface in the control center.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)