Apple Releases iOS 12.1.2 for iPhones With eSIM Bug Fixes

by

Apple today released iOS 12.1.2, the fourth update to the iOS 12 operating system since its September launch. iOS 12.1.2 comes just two weeks after the release of iOS 12.1.1, and one week after Apple seeded the first iOS 12.1.2 beta to developers.

The iOS 12.1.2 update is available exclusively on the iPhone and it can be downloaded over-the-air in the Settings app. To access the update, go to Settings > General > Software Update. As with all iOS updates, iOS 12.1.2 is free to download. iPads and iPod touch models continue to run iOS 12.1.1, the prior version of iOS 12 released on December 5.

appleesim
According to Apple's release notes, iOS 12.1.2 is a bug fix update that focuses on addressing issues with eSIM activation and a cellular connectivity issue in Turkey. From Apple's release notes:

iOS 12.1.2 includes bug fixes for your iPhone. This update:

- Fixes bugs with eSIM activation for iPhone XR, iPhone XS, and iPhone XS Max

- Addresses an issue that could affect cellular connectivity in Turkey for iPhone XR, iPhone XS, and iPhone XS Max

The timing of the iOS 12.1.2 release is curious as Apple often seeds more than one beta before launching a software update. It's likely that iOS 12.1.2 is addressing a bug that Apple did not want to wait to fix.

Today's iOS 12.1.2 release may also include software tweaks in China that remove patented Qualcomm functionality. A Chinese court last week issued an iPhone sales ban on certain devices in China after ruling that Apple had infringed on two Qualcomm patents related to resizing and reformatting photos and managing applications using a touch screen when using apps.

Apple said it would issue a software update for iPhone users in China to address "the minor functionality of the two patents at issue in the case."

eSIM functionality was first introduced in the iOS 12.1 update and expanded with iOS 12.1.1. In the U.S., T-Mobile, Verizon, and AT&T are all now supporting the eSIM feature, as are multiple other carriers around the world.

Update: The iOS 12.1.2 update is now available for download.

Update 2: This post has been updated to reflect the fact that it is only available for the iPhone.

Related Forum: iOS 12

Popular Stories

iPhone Air

Report: 'Virtually No Demand' for iPhone Air

Wednesday October 22, 2025 3:22 am PDT by
Apple is "drastically" cutting production of the iPhone Air and shifting focus toward the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro models, Nikkei Asia reports. The business publication claims to have learned of a major cut to iPhone Air production motivated by weaker-than-expected consumer interest, nearly to "end of production levels." Despite early reports of the iPhone Air selling out within hours of...
Read Full Article • 524 comments
sam sung auction

Former Apple Employee Sam Sung Changed His Name to Avoid Attention

Wednesday October 22, 2025 4:44 pm PDT by
Back in 2012, an Apple retail employee named Sam Sung went viral because his name is similar to Samsung, one of Apple's main competitors. In a recent interview with Business Insider, he detailed that period in his life, how Apple responded, and he explained why he ultimately changed his name. Someone posted an image of Sung's Apple business card on Reddit in 2012, and it spread rapidly....
Read Full Article • 96 comments
cadillac lyric infotainment

GM to Remove CarPlay from All Future Vehicles, Including Gas Cars

Wednesday October 22, 2025 11:34 am PDT by
General Motors began phasing out support for CarPlay in its electric vehicles back in 2023, leading to complaints from iPhone users, but the company has no plans to back down. In fact, GM is going further and plans to remove CarPlay from all future gas vehicles, too. In an interview with The Verge, GM CEO Mary Barra said that the company opted to prioritize its platform for EVs, but the...
Read Full Article • 438 comments
iOS 26

iOS 26.1 Coming Soon With These 8 New Features for Your iPhone

Wednesday October 22, 2025 6:15 am PDT by
The upcoming iOS 26.1 update includes a handful of new features and changes for iPhones, including a toggle for changing the appearance of the Liquid Glass design, "slide to stop" for alarms in the Clock app, and more. iOS 26.1 is currently in beta testing. The update will likely be released in the first half of November, and it is compatible with the iPhone 11 series and newer, but some...
Read Full Article • 31 comments
All Screen iPhone 2027 Feature 1

Apple's Plan to Launch Three New iPhone Designs Allegedly Revealed

Wednesday October 22, 2025 6:24 am PDT by
Apple plans to launch a new type of iPhone every year for the foreseeable future, according to an Asia-based source. The detailed information was shared by the account "yeux1122" in a blog post on the Korean platform Naver, citing domestic trend and component research companies. Corroborating other reports, Apple will apparently launch its first foldable iPhone in 2026, featuring a...
Read Full Article • 132 comments
ios 26 1 liquid glass opaque

iOS 26.1 Beta 4 Lets Users Control Liquid Glass Transparency with New Toggle

Monday October 20, 2025 10:57 am PDT by
With the fourth betas of iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1, and macOS 26.1, Apple has introduced a new setting that's designed to allow users to customize the look of Liquid Glass. The toggle lets users select from a clear look for Liquid Glass, or a tinted look. Clear is the current Liquid Glass design, which is more transparent and shows the background underneath buttons, bars, and menus, while tinted ...
Read Full Article • 212 comments
maxresdefault

Apple's iPhone Air Experiment Fails as Supply Chain Cuts Production by 80%

Wednesday October 22, 2025 10:48 am PDT by
iPhone Air demand failed to meet Apple's expectations and the company's supply chain is scaling back shipments and production, reports Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Suppliers are expected to reduce capacity by more than 80 percent between now and the first quarter of 2026, and some components with longer lead times will be discontinued ...
Read Full Article • 635 comments
All Screen iPhone 2027 Feature 1

Report: Apple to Skip 'iPhone 19' Name for 'iPhone 20'

Thursday October 23, 2025 4:28 am PDT by
Apple's new iPhone lineup launched in the fall of 2027 will be called the "iPhone 20" models, rather than the "iPhone 19," according to research firm Omdia. Speaking at a conference in Seoul (via ETNews), Omdia Chief Researcher Heo Moo-yeol corroborated rumors that Apple plans to move the launch of its standard iPhone to the first half of the year and provided some additional clarity about...
Read Full Article • 144 comments
iOS 26

What's New in iOS 26.1 Beta 4

Monday October 20, 2025 1:02 pm PDT by
Even though we're at the fourth beta of iOS 26.1, Apple is continuing to add new features. In fact, the fourth beta has some of the biggest changes that we'll get when iOS 26.1 releases to the public later this month. We've rounded up what's new below. Liquid Glass Transparency Toggle Apple added a toggle for customizing the look of Liquid Glass. In Settings > Display and Brightness,...
Read Full Article • 35 comments

Top Rated Comments

TimUSCA Avatar
TimUSCA
89 months ago
Is this going to fix my green-bubble messages constantly saying "Number changed to Primary"? It does this for every single message that comes through, and it drives me nuts.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BeyondtheTech Avatar
BeyondtheTech
89 months ago
I'm not seeing the benefit of using an eSIM unless using 2 lines. Am I missing anything?
Here's a potential cool thing - your telephone number is embedded in the iPhone. In the event that someone steals it or you lose it, even if they wipe it out and try to reactivate it, it will automatically reactivate the internal SIM and possibly ping its location.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cableguy84 Avatar
cableguy84
89 months ago
Battery life great after this update, getting over 1 whole day on a full charge now.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dmccombs Avatar
dmccombs
89 months ago
There are those who have heard that 12.1 also has bugs and were encouraged not to update. It's like that practically with every update for years and years now (and not even just when it comes to iOS).
I was just kidding about the Apple "It Just Works". LOL, those days are long gone. Now its more like "Stand on one foot while chanting, deinstall and reinstall all devices, hard reboot, soft reboot, then hope it kinda works a little".

Seriously, I spend more time re-syncing devices, re-installing, etc. Trying to get my Apple Watch, Phone, iCloud, Pictures, etc to keep working together, is like a second job... OK, ending rant...

Regarding this update, obviously Apple must consider it a bit of an Emergency, yet they don't tell much in the release notes. Ok, I better stop before I start a rant about Apple's lack of disclosure on problems/issues.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
The Oak Avatar
The Oak
89 months ago
Battery life great after this update, getting over 1 whole day on a full charge now.
The update just got out???
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
C DM Avatar
C DM
89 months ago
since applying the update 3 days ago.
Sounds like we might be talking about a different update given that this one was just released less than a day ago.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments