Apple today seeded "Release Candidate" versions of upcoming iOS 14.2 and iPadOS 14.2 updates to developers and public beta testers, 10 days after seeding the fourth betas and a month and a half after releasing the iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 updates.
iOS and iPadOS 14.2 can be downloaded by developers through the Apple Developer Center or over the air after the proper developer profile has been installed, while public beta testers can download the update with the proper certificate. Notably, today's update will fix the "A new iOS update is now available" bug that users were seeing with the previously available beta.
Apple in iOS and iPadOS 14.2 is adding new Emoji 13 emoji characters, with options that include smiling face with tear, ninja, pinched fingers, anatomical heart, black cat, mammoth, polar bear, dodo, fly, bell pepper, tamale, bubble tea, potted plant, piñata, plunger, wand, feather, hut, and more, with a full list available here.
The iOS 14.2 update also brings a new Music Recognition control for the Control Center, which enhances the integration of the Apple-owned Shazam app in the iOS operating system. Music Recognition lets you discover music playing around you and it can recognize music playing in apps even when you're wearing AirPods.
The Shazam Music Recognition feature can be added to Control Center through the Control Center options in the Settings app. To use the feature, open up Control Center and then tap on the Shazam icon to initiate a single recognition. While Apple devices have been able to use Shazam through Siri or the Shazam app for some time, the Control Center option makes it easier to get to the music recognition tool.
The new update includes a redesigned Now Playing widget for the Control Center, which lists recently played albums that you might want to tap into and listen to when you have no music playing. There's also a redesigned interface for AirPlay, making it easier to play music across multiple AirPlay 2-enabled devices in the home.
For those who are blind or have low vision, Apple added a "People Detection" feature in the Magnifier app that uses the camera to let iPhone users see what's in front of them, including people, which is useful for social distancing purposes.
People detection has also been added to iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro Max, and fourth-generation iPad Pro. The feature detects when a person is near the device, sends a notification, and then provides audible, visual, and haptic feedback in real time about how close or far the other person is.
For the Apple Watch app on the iPhone, Apple tweaked the design slightly, updating the watch with one of the new Solo Loop Apple Watch bands.
For Apple Card users, the iOS 14.2 update adds a yearly spending history option so Apple Card holders can see how much they've spent in the current calendar year and how much Daily Cash they've earned. Prior to iOS 14.2, Apple Card offered spending activity information in a weekly or monthly summary.
With the HomePod 14.2 software, the iOS 14.2 update introduces the Intercom feature that turns HomePod, HomePod mini, and other devices into intercoms that can be used throughout the household.
Intercom lets family members communicate with one another in the home by sending and receiving spoken messages through HomePod speakers or through iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, AirPods, and CarPlay. Intercom can be activated by saying "Hey Siri, Intercom" to activate it, followed by a message. Intercom can even be used when people are away from home.
You can choose specific HomePods or devices in the home to send a message to everyone in the household or send a reply to an Intercom message sent by someone else. On devices like iPhone and iPad, Intercom messages are shown as notifications with the option to listen to an audio message.
There are new wallpaper options in iOS 14.2, with several new wallpapers available in both light and dark mode.
The update introduces Optimized Battery Charging for the AirPods to slow battery aging by reducing the amount of time that AirPods spend fully charged, and it allows the HomePod to be connected to the Apple TV 4K for stereo, surround sound, and Dolby Atmos audio.
Apple's release notes for the update are included below:
iOS 14.2 includes the following improvements for your iPhone:
- Over 100 new emoji, including animals, food, faces, household objects, musical instruments, gender-inclusive emoji, and more
- Eight new wallpapers in both light and dark mode versions
- Magnifier can detect people nearby, and report their distance using the LiDAR sensor included in iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max
- Support for iPhone 12 Leather Sleeve with MagSafe
- Optimized battery charging for AirPods to slow the rate of battery aging by reducing the time your AirPods spends fully charged
- Headphone audio level notifications to alert you when audio level could impact your hearing
- New AirPlay controls to stream entertainment throughout your home
- Intercom support with HomePod and HomePod mini using iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, AirPods, and CarPlay
- Ability to connect HomePod to Apple TV 4K for stereo, surround sound, and Dolby Atmos audio
- Option to provide statistics about Exposure Notifications, without identifying you, to participating Public Health AuthoritiesThis release also fixes the following issues:
- Apps could be out of order on the Home Screen dock
- Camera viewfinder may appear black when launched
- The keyboard on the Lock Screen could miss touches when trying to enter the passcode
- Reminders could default to times in the past
- Photos widget may not display content
- Weather widget could display the high temperature in Celsius when set to Fahrenheit
- Next-hour precipitation chart description in Weather could incorrectly indicate when precipitation stops
- Voice Memos recordings are interrupted by incoming calls
- The screen could be black during Netflix video playback
- Apple Cash could fail to send or receive money when asked via Siri
- Apple Watch app may unexpectedly close when opened
- Workout GPS routes or Health data are prevented from syncing between Apple Watch and iPhone for some users
- Audio is incorrectly labeled as “Not Playing” in the CarPlay Dashboard
- Devices could be prevented from charging wirelessly
- Exposure Notifications is disabled when restoring iPhone from iCloud Backup or transferring data to a new iPhone using iPhone Migration
There are also separate release notes for iPadOS 14 with iPad-specific changes such as camera improvements for the iPad Air's camera, which is gaining A14 photography features that were also brought to new iPhone 12 models.
iPadOS 14.2 includes the following improvements for your iPad:
- Over 100 new emoji, including animals, food, faces, household objects, musical instruments, gender-inclusive emoji, and more
- Eight new wallpapers in both light and dark mode versions
- Magnifier can detect people nearby, and report their distance using the LiDAR sensor included in iPad Pro 12.9-inch (4th generation) and iPad Pro 11-inch (2nd generation)
- Scene Detection in Camera uses intelligent image recognition to identify objects within a scene and automatically improves the photo on iPad Air (4th generation)
- Auto FPS in Camera automatically reduces the frame rate when recording video to improve low light capture and to optimize file size on iPad Air (4th generation)
- Optimized battery charging for AirPods to slow the rate of battery aging by reducing the time your AirPods spends fully charged
- New AirPlay controls to stream entertainment throughout your home
- Intercom support with HomePod and HomePod mini using iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, AirPods, and CarPlay
- Ability to connect HomePod to Apple TV 4K for stereo, surround sound, and Dolby Atmos audioThis release also fixes the following issues:
- Camera viewfinder may appear black when launched
- The keyboard on the Lock Screen could miss touches when trying to enter the passcode
- Reminders could default to times in the past
- Photos widget may not display content
- Weather widget could display the high temperature in Celsius when set to Fahrenheit
- Voice Memos recordings are interrupted by incoming calls
- The screen could be black during Netflix video playback
- Apple Cash could fail to send or receive money when asked via Siri
There's no word on when the iOS 14.2 update will see a public launch, but with the golden master now available, it could be released as soon as next week.
