Apple Releases iOS 16.2 and iPadOS 16.2 With Freeform, Apple Music Sing, Advanced Data Protection and More

Apple today released iOS 16.2, the second major update to the iOS 16 operating system that came out in September. iOS 16.2 comes more than a month after the launch of iOS 16.1, an update that added support for Live Activities, Matter, iCloud Shared Photo Library, and more.

The ‌‌iOS 16‌‌.2 update Apple's can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. It can take a few minutes for the updates to propagate to all users due to high demand. Note that Apple has also released iOS 15.7.2 for iPhone users who have older devices, with the update offering security improvements.

Today's iOS 16.2 and iPadOS 16.2 updates bring several notable features to ‌iOS 16‌ and iPadOS 16, including the Freeform app, which is a sort of digital whiteboard that you can use for anything, while also working collaboratively with friends and colleagues.

It includes the Apple Music karaoke feature called "Sing," it introduces Advanced Data Protection for end-to-end encryption for more ‌iCloud‌ features, plus more. On the iPad, the update brings support for external displays on M1 and M2 iPads.

Apple's full release notes for the iOS update are below:

Freeform
- Freeform is a new app for working creatively with friends or colleagues on Mac, iPad and iPhone
- A flexible canvas lets you add files, images, stickies, and more
Drawing tools let you sketch anywhere on the canvas with your finger

Apple Music Sing
- A new way to sing along with millions of your favorite songs in Apple Music
- Fully adjustable vocals let you duet with the original artist, sing solo, or mix it up
- Newly enhanced beat-by-beat lyrics make it even easier to follow along with the music

Advanced Data Protection for iCloud
- New option expands the total number of iCloud data categories protected using end-to-end encryption to 23 -- including iCloud Backup, Notes, and Photos -- protecting your information even in the case of a data breach in the cloud

Lock Screen
- New settings allow you to hide wallpaper or notifications when Always-On display is enabled on iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max
- Sleep widget lets you view your most recent sleep data
- Medications widget lets you view reminders and quickly access your schedule

Game Center
- SharePlay support in Game Center for multiplayer games so you can play with the people you are on a FaceTime call with
- Activity Widget allows you to see what your friends are playing and achieving in games right from your Home Screen

Apple TV
- Live Activities for Apple TV app let you follow your favorite teams with live scores right on your Lock Screen or in Dynamic Island on iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max

Home
- Improved reliability and efficiency of communication between your smart home accessories and Apple devices

This update also includes the following improvements and bug fixes:
- Improved search in Messages allows you to find photos based on their content, like a dog, car, person, or text
- Turn Off Hide IP Address setting enables iCloud Private Relay users to temporarily disable the service for a specific site in Safari
- News articles in Weather display information relevant to the weather in that location
- Participant Cursors in Notes allow you to see live indicators as others make updates in a shared note
- AirDrop now automatically reverts to Contacts Only after 10 minutes to prevent unwanted requests to receive content
- Crash Detection optimizations on iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro models
- Fixes an issue that causes some notes not to sync with iCloud after updates are made

Some features may not be available for all regions or on all Apple devices. For information on the security content of Apple software updates, please visit this website:
https://support.apple.com/kb/HT201222

Apple also has some ‌iPad‌ specific notes:

Stage Manager
- External display support with resolutions up to 6K available on iPad Pro 12.9-inch (5th generation and later), iPad Pro 11-inch (3rd generation and later), and iPad Air (5th generation)
- Drag and drop files and windows from your compatible device to your connected display, and vice versa
- Support for using up to 4 apps on the iPad display and 4 on the external display

iPad Specific Features and Fixes
- Fixes an issue that may cause Multi-Touch gestures to become unresponsive while using the Zoom accessibility feature

Following the launch of iOS 16.2 and iPadOS 16.2, Apple may soon seed out the first betas of iOS 16.3 and iPadOS 16.3, giving us a look at new features that we can expect to see in the new year.