Apple releases iOS & iPadOS 15.2, this is what's new [Update]

Apple has released iOS and iPadOS 15.2 for eligible devices today. As a point release it doesn’t bring groundbreaking changes as you"d typically see in a major upgrade but there are a fair few new features across the operating systems and related services and apps.

The full release notes for this release are as follows:

iOS 15.2

iOS 15.2 adds Apple Music Voice Plan, a new subscription tier that provides access to music using Siri. This update also includes the App Privacy Report, new safety features for children and parents in Messages, and other features and bug fixes for your iPhone.

Apple Music Voice Plan

  • Apple Music Voice Plan is a new subscription tier that gives you access to all songs, playlists, and stations in Apple Music using Siri
  • Just Ask Siri suggests music based on your listening history and likes or dislikes
  • Play it Again lets you access a list of your recently played music

Privacy

  • App Privacy Report in Settings lets you see how often apps have accessed your location, photos, camera, microphone, contacts and more during the last seven days, as well as their network activity

Messages

  • Communication safety setting gives parents the ability to enable warnings for children when they receive or send photos that contain nudity
  • Safety warnings contain helpful resources for children when they receive photos that contain nudity

Siri and Search

  • Expanded guidance in Siri, Spotlight and Safari Search to help children and parents stay safe online and get help with unsafe situations

Apple ID

  • Digital Legacy allows you to designate people as Legacy Contacts so they can access your iCloud account and personal information in the event of your death

Camera

  • Macro photo control for switching to the Ultra Wide lens to capture macro photos and videos can be enabled in Settings on iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max

TV app

  • Store tab lets you browse, buy, and rent movies and TV Shows all in one place

CarPlay

  • Enhanced city map in Apple Maps with road details like turn lanes, medians, bike lanes, and pedestrian crosswalks for supported cities

This release also includes the following enhancements for your iPhone:

  • Hide My Email is available in the Mail app for iCloud+ subscribers to create unique, random email addresses
  • Find My can locate iPhone for up to five hours when in Power Reserve
  • Stocks allows you to view the currency for a ticker and see year-to-date performance when viewing charts
  • Reminders and Notes now allow you to delete or rename tags

This release also includes bug fixes for your iPhone:

  • Siri may not respond while VoiceOver is running and iPhone is locked
  • ProRAW photos may appear overexposed when viewing in third-party photo editing apps
  • HomeKit scenes that include a garage door may not run from CarPlay when your iPhone is locked
  • CarPlay may not update Now Playing information for certain apps
  • Video streaming apps may not load content on iPhone 13 models
  • Calendar events may appear on the wrong day for Microsoft Exchange users

iPadOS 15.2

iPadOS 15.2 adds Apple Music Voice Plan, a new subscription tier that provides access to music using Siri. This update also includes the App Privacy Report, new safety features for children and parents in Messages, and other features and bug fixes for your iPad.

Apple Music Voice Plan

  • Apple Music Voice Plan is a new subscription tier that gives you access to all songs, playlists, and stations in Apple Music using Siri
  • Just Ask Siri suggests music based on your listening history and likes or dislikes
  • Play it Again lets you access a list of your recently played music

Privacy

  • App Privacy Report in Settings lets you see how often apps have accessed your location, photos, camera, microphone, contacts and more during the last seven days, as well as their network activity

Messages

  • Communication safety setting gives parents the ability to enable warnings for children when they receive or send photos that contain nudity
  • Safety warnings contain helpful resources for children when they receive photos that contain nudity

Siri and Search

  • Expanded guidance in Siri, Spotlight and Safari Search to help children and parents stay safe online and get help with unsafe situations

Apple ID

  • Digital Legacy allows you to designate people as Legacy Contacts so they can access your iCloud account and personal information in the event of your death

TV app

  • Store tab lets you browse, buy, and rent movies and TV Shows all in one place

This release also includes the following enhancements for your iPad:

  • Notes setting to access Quick Note with a swipe from the lower left or lower right corner of the screen
  • Hide My Email is available in the Mail app for iCloud+ subscribers to create unique, random email addresses
  • Reminders and Notes now allow you to delete or rename tags

This release also includes bug fixes for your iPad:

  • Siri may not respond while VoiceOver is running and iPad is locked
  • ProRAW photos may appear overexposed when viewing in third-party photo editing apps
  • Calendar events may appear on the wrong day for Microsoft Exchange users

Updating to the latest version of iOS or iPadOS is simple enough. Make sure your device is plugged into a reliable power source and connected to the internet with Wi-Fi then head to Settings > General > Software Update. As long as you’re running iOS or iPadOS 15 already, you should see version 15.2 available. Just tap Install Now and the update should begin.

Update: I"ve updated this article with the correct changelog.

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