Apple Just Released an Update for Every OS (Here’s What’s New)
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Apple on Tuesday released a new batch of software updates for iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, watchOS and HomePod. While the updates are primarily focused on performance improvements, bug fixes and other under-the-hood changes, there are also some notable new features for users! Continue reading to learn about all of the new features and changes in each of Apple's latest software updates.
What's New in iOS, iPadOS 13.3
One of the biggest additions to iOS and iPadOS 13.3 is the introduction of Communication Limits support in Screen Time.
Through the feature, users can control who and when they can communicate with others via Phone, Messages or FaceTime. This may be especially useful for parents, since they can set limits barring messaging with anyone other than themselves during a certain time.
Other notable changes include the ability to hide the Memoji and Animoji stickers in the emoji keyboard and Safari support for FIDO2 security keys over Lightning, USB or NFC (something you should definitely take advantage of).
There are also some more minor updates, including new layouts for Apple News stories, the ability to like or dislike stories with a tap, and additional news options in the Stocks app.
Additionally, the update squashes a number of bugs, including the following from Apple’s release notes.
"This update:
- Enables the creation of a new video clip when trimming a video in Photos
- Fixes issues in Mail that may prevent downloading new messages
- Addresses an issue that prevented deleting messages in Gmail accounts
- Resolves issues that could cause incorrect characters to display in messages and duplication of sent messages in Exchange accounts
- Fixes an issue where the cursor may not move after long pressing on the space bar
- Addresses an issue that may cause screenshots to appear blurry when sent via Messages
- Resolves an issue where cropping or using Markup on screenshots may not save to Photos
- Fixes an issue where Voice Memos recordings may not be able to be shared with other audio apps
- Addresses an issue where the missed call badge on the Phone app may not clear
- Resolves an issue where the Cellular Data setting may incorrectly show as off
- Fixes an issue that prevented turning off Dark Mode when Smart Invert was enabled
- Addresses an issue where some wireless chargers may charge more slowly than expected"
What's New in watchOS 6.1.1 and HomePod 13.3
watchOS 6.1.1 doesn’t contain any new user-facing features, but it does introduce bug fixes and under-the-hood performance improvements.
The HomePod firmware update, on the other hand, improves HomePod’s ability to recognize voice profiles, allows individual family members to enable or disable personal requests, and squashes a bug that stopped music playback in stereo setup after a phone call.
What's New in macOS 10.15.2
Apple also released the second update to macOS Catalina: version 10.15.2. It’s the first update to the macOS platform in about a month.
macOS Catalina 10.15.2 doesn’t appear to add any major new features and seems to be focused on bug fixes and stability improvements. The release notes do indicate similar changes to story layout in News and Stocks as in iOS and iPadOS 13.3.
There’s also a sizable list of bug fixes, including patches for issues in Music, iTunes Remote, Photos and Mail, among others.
Music
- Restores the column browser view for managing the music library
- Resolves an issue that may prevent album artwork from appearing
- Fixes an issue that may reset music equalizer settings during playback
iTunes Remote
- Adds support for using an ?iPhone? or iPad to remotely control the Music and TV apps on a Mac
?Photos?
- Resolves an issue that may cause some .AVI and .MP4 files to appear as unsupported
- Fixes an issue that prevents newly created folders from appearing in Albums view
- Addresses an issue where manually sorted images in an album may be printed or exported out of order
- Fixes an issue that prevents the zoom-to-crop tool from working in a print preview
Mail
- Addresses an issue that may cause Mail Preferences to open with a blank window
- Resolves an issue that may prevent using undo from retrieving deleted mail
Other
- Improves the reliability of syncing books and audiobooks to your ?iPad? or ?iPhone? through Finder
- Fixes an issue where reminders may be out of order in the Today smart list in the Reminders app
- Resolves an issue that may cause slow typing performance in the Notes app
What's New in tvOS 13.3
Apple’s new tvOS 13.3 update is similarly minor, but adds one small change that will likely make a lot of Apple TV users happy.
Users are now able to switch the main banner interface in the TV app from What to Watch to Up Next. That means you’ll see the shows and movies that you’re currently watching instead of curated or algorithm-generated suggestions.
That option can be accessed in Settings > Apps > TV > Home Screen. Just change the Top Shelf section to Up Next.
Besides that, it isn’t clear what changes tvOS 13.3 makes to the Apple TV operating system. Apple’s release documentation says it includes “general performance and stability improvements.”