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Best iOS 15.2 features: What’s coming in the next big update?

Apple’s launched the iOS 15.2 update. Here’s everything we know about the new iPhone operating system.

You may still be getting to grips with iOS 15.1, with its new SharePlay features and exciting iPhone 13 camera features, but Apple as always is one step ahead.

Now Apple has launched the next version, iOS 15.2 (also iPadOS 15.2, tvOS 15.2 and watchOS 8.2) on Monday, which also includes a host of new features. Here are some of the new features and improvements it contains.

When is iOS 15.2 coming out?

iOS 15.2 is available to download now for all compatible devices. All devices that run iOS 15 will be able to run iOS 15.2 and the update can be downloaded over the air right now. On our iPhone 12 Pro, the file size is 871MB.

iphone 13 pro max camera

iOS 15.2 features

App Privacy Report

The headline addition may be the App Privacy Report. Previewed at Apple’s at WWDC in June, it breaks down precisely how often your installed apps have accessed your data over the past seven days, as well as when they have contacted other domains.

Apple Music Voice Plan

This update introduces the new Apple Music Voice Plan subscription tier, which costs half as much as the full version, but only enables music to be played via Siri voice controls. It’s ideal for HomePod users, but perhaps not for those who primarily play music via their iPhones.

Digital Legacy

“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,” Apple explains in the release notes.

iPhone 13 Pro Macro camera fix

This portion of the update brings a fix for an issue with the macro camera automatically kicking on on the iPhone 13 Pro series. The automatic switching resulted in a jarring experience when shooting video. Once this toggle is enabled, users will need to switch manually to the ultra wide lens.

“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,” Apple says.

CarPlay

Apple says CarPlay users will now benefit from an “enhanced city map in Apple Maps with road details like turn lanes, medians, bike lanes, and pedestrian crosswalks for supported cities.”

Emergency SOS

In a minor adjustment to the Emergency SOS feature, it now takes 8 seconds to call emergency services with a combination of button presses, rather than the existing 3 seconds. Hopefully this will mean fewer accidental calls.

Communication Safety

Apple announced a raft of new child safety protocols earlier in the year. One of those features, called Communication Safety, appears to be rolling out as part of iOS 15.2, judging from the source code. Employing Apple’s machine learning technology, this feature will warn parents and children in the event that sexually explicit photos are received or sent from a child’s iPhone.

How to download iOS 15.2

iOS 15.2 (along with iPadOS 15.2) can now be downloaded over the air from Settings > General > Software Update. You should see iOS 15.2 waiting for you. If you have Automatic Updates installed, the software should download in the background.

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