Apple today released iOS 14.7 to the public after several months of beta testing. iOS 14.7 is a smaller update than some of the updates that preceded it, but there are still a few notable features.
We've highlighted everything that's new in iOS 14.7 below.
MagSafe Battery Pack Support
Apple in July introduced the MagSafe Battery Pack, which is designed to work with the iPhone 12, 12 mini, 12 Pro, and 12 Pro Max. iOS 14.7 introduces support for the MagSafe Battery Pack, and the update is required to use it.
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On the iPhone, you can view the charge level of the MagSafe Battery Pack through the Batteries widget either on the Home Screen or through the Today View, with the battery charge level available right alongside the iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods battery readings.
Merging Apple Cards
Apple announced Apple Card Family sharing in April and rolled out most of the functionality in the iOS 14.6 update, but iOS 14.7 brings support for merging two Apple Cards.
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Two current Apple Card owners who want to share a single Apple Card account can now merge their accounts together, resulting in a higher shared credit limit with the lower APR of the two accounts.
The account merging process can be initiated in the Wallet app.
HomePod Timer Management
With iOS 14.7, there's now an option to manage timers on the HomePod through the Home app.
Air Quality Information
Air Quality information in the Weather and Maps app has expanded to Canada, France, Italy, the Netherlands, South Korea, and Spain.
Podcasts Updates
In the Podcasts app, the Podcasts library now has an option that lets users see all shows or only followed shows.
Bug Fixes
There are several noteworthy bug fixes that Apple has addressed in the iOS 14.7 update. Apple's release notes include the following:
- An issue that could cause Dolby Atmos and Apple Music lossless audio playback to unexpectedly stop has been fixed.
- The battery service message that may have disappeared after reboot on some iPhone 11 models is restored.
- A bug that caused Braille displays to show invalid information when composing Mail messages has been fixed.
- A bug that could cause the share playlist menu option to go missing in Apple Music has been addressed.
The iOS 14.7 update also appears to fix a bug that could cause an iPhone's WiFi to stop working if connected to a WiFi network named "%p%s%s%s%s%n." This isn't mentioned in Apple's release notes, but connecting to a network with that name could impact the iPhone's functionality and it is no longer an issue after installing iOS 14.7.
iOS 14.7 Issues
According to Apple, there's a bug in iOS 14.7 that can prevent users from being able to unlock their Apple Watches by unlocking paired Touch ID-equipped iPhones.
As a temporary workaround, Apple recommends that users type their passcode into their Apple Watch to unlock it rather than relying on the Apple Watch, with the bug set to be addressed in a future software update.
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Top Rated Comments
I hear the Apple Fans crying „Oh no, Apple can not fix this bug - it is complicated!!!“
Well Apple, two quick fixes:
1) Let the users uninstall the Messages app and allow 3rd party vendors to offer SMS apps. Messages is so full of bugs and this is caused by tons of features. Messages is beyond repair.
2) Ask the user if he/she wants to accept a message from an unknown sender - BEFORE anything else happens.
That’s it? Basically yes, it is simple as that. Like you should never download content from an unknown eMail, nobody should touch an SMS with unknown origin. Messagers like Signal follow this rule.
That's not showing up for me, yet.
If NOT, that would be something most, I believe, would greatly appreciate !
There are apps out there that test the performance with real-world tests, as apposed to Synthetic Benchmarks used by GeekBench & the like.
And, it's NOT Rocket Science to figure-out one OR two good ones that have offered support for it for quite some time.