iOS 16.2 is the next major interim update for the iPhone, with many new features. Apple insider Mark Gurman thinks he knows when the iOS 16.2 release takes place: the software would appear in mid-December.
iOS 16.2 release
Gurman reports this in his weekly newsletter, in which he shares his expectations for the last two months of 2022. The last major interim update for the iPhone this year is iOS 16.2 and we can expect the software in December, he reports.
“Although the new Macs won’t be released until next year, the company still has some software to release,” Gurman writes. “The iOS 16.2 and iPadOS 17.2 updates, which started beta testing last week, should be released around mid-December.”
Updates in iOS 16.2
The first beta of iOS 16.2 was released last week, so we already know what the most important innovations are. We list them below.
1. Sleep widget for lock screen
iOS 16.2 includes a new Sleep widget that you can place on the lock screen. There are three widgets: one with the amount of time spent in bed, another with a bar graph of sleep quality, and a larger widget that shows your most recent sleep session, including sleep stages.
2. Freeform App
If you install iOS 16.2, you have a completely new app: Freeform. This is a digital whiteboard where you can brainstorm and design with others in real time. The app will soon also be available for iPadOS 16.2 and macOS Ventura 13.1.
3. Stage Manager with External Displays
A big new feature of iPadOS 16 is Stage Manager, and with iPadOS 16.2, the feature also works with external displays. This only applies to iPads with an M1 or M2 chip. Stage Manager makes it possible to use multiple apps at the same time. In combination with an external display, you can run 8 apps simultaneously.
4. Renovations in Home
The Home app is getting an upgrade with iOS 16.2. If you open the Home app for the first time in iOS 16.2, you will be asked if you want to upgrade the app to the new architecture. According to Apple, your smart devices benefit from improved performance and higher reliability.
Release date iOS 16.2
So the release of iOS 16.2 is probably mid-December. iOS 15.2 also appeared around that period last year: the update was released on Monday, December 13, 2021. December 12 seems the most likely date for this year.
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