Apple today pushed the iOS 16.2 RC update (internal version number: 20C65) to iPhone users, 50 days after the last release.
Today’s RC release brings opt-in end-to-end encryption to more iCloud features, which will be available to all U.S. users with the launch of iOS 16.2 and iPadOS 16.2. iCloud’s Advanced Data Protection adds end-to-end encryption to iCloud Backup, Notes, Photos, iCloud Drive, and more. With Advanced Data Protection enabled, the only iCloud categories not covered by end-to-end encryption include iCloud Mail, Contacts, and Calendar.
iOS 16.2 and iPadOS 16.2 bring the Infinity Notes app for taking notes, sketching, drawing, brainstorming, creating mood boards, and more. Multiple people can work on the same Infinity Notes sketchpad, and all participants’ notes are synced in real time.
For iPad, iPadOS 16.2 brings external monitor support to the front-of-the-desk scheduling multitasking feature, allowing up to eight applications to be used simultaneously. External display support is available for M1 and M2 iPad models.
Apple has added a new Home app architecture to iOS and iPadOS 16.2 that Apple says is designed to bring faster, more reliable performance, especially in homes with lots of smart home accessories.
In iOS 16.2, unintentional emergency SOS calls can be reported to Apple, there’s a new sleep widget, live sports scores are back for the TV app, there are changes to the always-on display on the iPhone 14 Pro, and much, much more, with full details available in our iOS 16.2 feature guide. Apple’s full release notes for this update are as follows.
Infinity Notes
- Infinity Notes is a new app for creative work with friends or colleagues on Mac, iPad and iPhone.
- A flexible canvas lets you add files, images, stickers 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 sing in pairs, solo, or in a mix with the original singer.
- Newly enhanced beat-by-beat lyrics make it easier to keep up with the music
Advanced data protection for iCloud
-New options expand the total number of iCloud data categories protected with end-to-end encryption to 23 – including iCloud Backups, Notes, and Photos – protecting your information even in the event of a data breach in the cloud.
Lock screen
- New settings allow you to hide your wallpaper or notifications when 24/7 display is enabled on iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max.
- Sleep widget lets you view your recent sleep data
- Medications widget lets you view reminders and quickly access your schedule
Game Center
- SharePlay for multiplayer is supported in Game Center, so you can play with people who are on a FaceTime call.
- Activity widget lets you see what your friends are playing and what they’ve accomplished in games from your home screen
Apple TV
- The Live Events app for Apple TV lets you follow the live scores of your favorite teams on the lock screen or in the 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 so you can find photos based on their content, such as dogs, cars, people, or text
- Turn off the Hide IP Address setting so that iCloud Private Relay users can temporarily disable the service in the Safari browser for specific websites
- News articles in Weather display information related to the weather at that location
- Participant cursors in Notes allow you to see real-time metrics as others make updates in Shared Notes
- AirDrop now automatically reverts to contacts only after 10 minutes to prevent unwanted requests to receive content
- Optimized crash detection for iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro models
- Fixed an issue that caused some notes to fail to sync with iCloud after an update.
iOS 16.2 is expected to be released in mid-December.
