Finally, it’s here. No not the Apple Watch (that arrives April 24th), but Apple’s largest and most important update to iOS 8 since its original release back in September.
iOS 8.2 (build number 12D508) launches today and your iPhones, iPads and iPod touches will soon notify you that the update is ready to download and install. The good news: this is a great idea.
Following the near random mudslinging of previous iOS 8.x releases, iOS 8.2 is the one which brings real focus. It is full of bug fixes and optimisations to solve flaws that have made many users’ lives a misery – particularly those on previous generation devices.
iOS 8.2 update – available now. Image credit Gordon Kelly
The official iOS 8.2 changelog is at the end of this post, but these are the aspects which excite me the most:
New Features
Apple Watch compatibility
This won’t affect the majority of users, but the headline feature of iOS 8.2 is indeed that it brings compatibility with the Apple Watch. Following the update users will be able to pair with Watch and a native Watch app will enable you to set it up and control app installs and notifications, while an Activity app will track your exercise.
In short: if you want an Apple Watch, you have to get iOS 8.2. Unfortunately that doesn’t extend to iPhone 4S owners as the Apple Watch only works with the iPhone 5 and newer.
HealthKit Upgrades
The other big news with iOS 8.2 are the improvements it makes to Apple HealthKit. Along with UI tweaks, users now get a choice of metric and imperial measurements for body temperature, weight, height, distance and blood glucose.
There’s compatibility with third party apps to add and visualise their workout session data and a new privacy setting to turn off tracking of steps, distance and flights of stairs climbed.
Apple Watch is the headline addition to iOS 8.2, but its fixes are just as vital – image courtesy of Apple
Fixed
Still the real star power of iOS 8.2 is what it fixes:
HealthKit - bug fixes which prevented adding a Medical ID photo, fixes for vitamins and mineral units, crashes when refreshing health data and increased stability when importing or updating large amounts of data.
The ‘GMT Bug’ - the most notorious iOS 8 bug is called out by name in iOS 8.2: ‘Fixes a timezone issue where Calendar events appear in GMT’. Those affected found their calendar dates switching time zones and causing chaos with their schedules. Present since iOS 8 launched in September, it has become of the biggest threads on Apple Support Communities.
The ‘GMT Bug’ - the most notorious iOS 8 bug is called out by name in iOS 8.2: ‘Fixes a timezone issue where Calendar events appear in GMT’. Those affected found their calendar dates switching time zones and causing chaos with their schedules. Present since iOS 8 launched in September, it has become of the biggest threads on Apple Support Communities.
Bluetooth Fixes - Another infamous bug since September which affected calls made over Bluetooth (particularly using car kits) has been squashed with iOS 8.2. Again Apple calls it out by name: ‘Fixes a Bluetooth calling issue where no audio is heard until the call is answered’.
Other fixes: Apple is also adding bugs fixes to improve the reliability of Mail, Maps (in the 3D Flyover feature), Music, VoiceOver but has given away little about what they contain. There’s also improved connectivity for paired Made for iPhone hearing aids.
Unknown
Unfortunately iOS 8.2 makes no specific reference to an issue which has generated the single largest thread on the Apple Support Communities (600,000 views, over 1,900 replies): a WiFi bug which both continually drops connection to a wireless network and heavily impacts battery life.
Apple rarely names every bug it addresses in iOS updates, but I’ll be watching for reports on this one in particular.
Apple iOS 8 promotion – image credit Apple
How To Get It
For many users the process is virtually automatic: your iPhones, iPads and iPod touches will prompt you to update. But for the impatient there is a shortcut.
Open your device and go to: Settings > General > Software Update. This will perform a manual check for the update. Note you will need to have at least 50% battery capacity before an update will be allowed to install.
You will also need a compatible device. Like iOS 8, iOS 8.2 only works on the following devices: iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c, iPhone 5, iPhone 4s, 5th gen iPod touch, iPad Air 2, iPad mini 3, iPad Air, iPad mini 2, 4th gen iPad, iPad mini, 3rd gen iPad and iPad 2.
Looking Ahead
So following the release of iOS 8.2 can we expect Apple to go quiet? Actually no.
The company is already beta testing iOS 8.3, which is rumoured to bring Apple’s new Beats-based iTunes streaming music service in a few months. So strap in because 2015 is looks set to be one of the busiest in Apple history.Finally, it’s here. No not the Apple Watch (that arrives April 24th), but Apple’s largest and most important update to iOS 8 since its original release back in September.
iOS 8.2 (build number 12D508) launches today and your iPhones, iPads and iPod touches will soon notify you that the update is ready to download and install. The good news: this is a great idea.
Following the near random mudslinging of previous iOS 8.x releases, iOS 8.2 is the one which brings real focus. It is full of bug fixes and optimisations to solve flaws that have made many users’ lives a misery – particularly those on previous generation devices.
iOS 8.2 update – available now. Image credit Gordon Kelly
The official iOS 8.2 changelog is at the end of this post, but these are the aspects which excite me the most:
New Features
Apple Watch compatibility
This won’t affect the majority of users, but the headline feature of iOS 8.2 is indeed that it brings compatibility with the Apple Watch. Following the update users will be able to pair with Watch and a native Watch app will enable you to set it up and control app installs and notifications, while an Activity app will track your exercise.
In short: if you want an Apple Watch, you have to get iOS 8.2. Unfortunately that doesn’t extend to iPhone 4S owners as the Apple Watch only works with the iPhone 5 and newer.
HealthKit Upgrades
The other big news with iOS 8.2 are the improvements it makes to Apple HealthKit. Along with UI tweaks, users now get a choice of metric and imperial measurements for body temperature, weight, height, distance and blood glucose.
There’s compatibility with third party apps to add and visualise their workout session data and a new privacy setting to turn off tracking of steps, distance and flights of stairs climbed.
Apple Watch is the headline addition to iOS 8.2, but its fixes are just as vital – image courtesy of Apple
Fixed
Still the real star power of iOS 8.2 is what it fixes:
HealthKit - bug fixes which prevented adding a Medical ID photo, fixes for vitamins and mineral units, crashes when refreshing health data and increased stability when importing or updating large amounts of data.The ‘GMT Bug’ - the most notorious iOS 8 bug is called out by name in iOS 8.2: ‘Fixes a timezone issue where Calendar events appear in GMT’. Those affected found their calendar dates switching time zones and causing chaos with their schedules. Present since iOS 8 launched in September, it has become of the biggest threads on Apple Support Communities.
Bluetooth Fixes - Another infamous bug since September which affected calls made over Bluetooth (particularly using car kits) has been squashed with iOS 8.2. Again Apple calls it out by name: ‘Fixes a Bluetooth calling issue where no audio is heard until the call is answered’.
Other fixes: Apple is also adding bugs fixes to improve the reliability of Mail, Maps (in the 3D Flyover feature), Music, VoiceOver but has given away little about what they contain. There’s also improved connectivity for paired Made for iPhone hearing aids.
Unknown
Unfortunately iOS 8.2 makes no specific reference to an issue which has generated the single largest thread on the Apple Support Communities (600,000 views, over 1,900 replies): a WiFi bug which both continually drops connection to a wireless network and heavily impacts battery life.
Apple rarely names every bug it addresses in iOS updates, but I’ll be watching for reports on this one in particular.
How To Get It
For many users the process is virtually automatic: your iPhones, iPads and iPod touches will prompt you to update. But for the impatient there is a shortcut.
Open your device and go to: Settings > General > Software Update. This will perform a manual check for the update. Note you will need to have at least 50% battery capacity before an update will be allowed to install.
You will also need a compatible device. Like iOS 8, iOS 8.2 only works on the following devices: iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c, iPhone 5, iPhone 4s, 5th gen iPod touch, iPad Air 2, iPad mini 3, iPad Air, iPad mini 2, 4th gen iPad, iPad mini, 3rd gen iPad and iPad 2.
Looking Ahead
So following the release of iOS 8.2 can we expect Apple to go quiet? Actually no.
The company is already beta testing iOS 8.3, which is rumoured to bring Apple’s new Beats-based iTunes streaming music service in a few months. So strap in because 2015 is looks set to be one of the busiest in Apple history.
iOS Official 8.2 Changelog:
Apple Watch support
- New Apple Watch app to pair and sync with iPhone, and to customize Watch settings
- New Activity App for viewing fitness data and achievements from Apple Watch; appears when Apple Watch is paired
- Available on iPhone 5 and later
Health App improvements
- Adds the ability to select the unit of measurement for body temperature, weight, height, distance, and blood glucose
- Improves stability when dealing with large amounts of data
- Includes the ability to add and visualise workout sessions from 3rd-party apps
- Addresses an issue that may have prevented users from adding a photo in Medical ID
- Fixes units for vitamins and minerals
- Fixes an issue where Health data wouldn’t refresh after changes data source order
- Fixes an issue where some graphics showed no data values
- Adds a privacy setting that enables turning off tracking of steps, distance, and flights climbed
Stability Enhancements
- Increases stability of Mail
- Improves stability of Flyover in Maps
- Improves stability of Music
- Improves VoiceOver reliability
- Improves connectivity with Made for iPhone Hearing Aids
Bug Fixes
- Fixes an issue in Maps that prevented navigating to some favorite locations
- Addresses an issue where the last word in a quick reply message wasn’t autocorrected
- Fixes an issue where duplicate iTunes purchased content could prevent iCloud restore from completing
- Resolves an issue where some music or playlists didn’t sync from iTunes to the Music app
- Fixes an issue where deleted audiobooks sometimes remained on the device
- Resolves an issue that could prevent call audio from routing to car speakers while using Siri Eyes Free
- Fixes a Bluetooth calling issue where no audio is heard until the call is answered
- Fixes a timezone issue where Calendar events appear in GMT
- Addresses an issue that caused certain events in a custom reoccurring meeting to drop from Exchange calendar
- Fixes an certificate error that prevented configuring an Exchange account behind a third-party gateway
- Fixes an issue that could cause an organizer’s Exchange meeting notes to be overwritten
- Resolves an issue that prevented some Calendar events from automatically showing as “busy” after accepting an invite.
Post a Comment