5 reasons why you should update to iOS 16.2 right away

On Wednesday, December 7, Apple released the iOS 16.2 Release Candidate to beta testers. This means that unless something goes terribly wrong, iOS 16.2 will hit everyone’s phones next week — likely December 12 or 13.

Once you see it available for your iPhone (go to Settings-> general > system update), you’ll want to make this happen Download and install button immediately. In fact, you’ll want to update all of your Apple devices to next week’s OS updates, including Macs, Apple TV, and so on. This is a pretty big update, with a few major features you won’t want to sleep on.

End-to-end encryption for all your iCloud items

Earlier this week, Apple introduced some new security features in iOS 16.2, the main one of which is the ability to encrypt almost all iCloud data end-to-end. Of course, Apple has to rename everything, so they call this feature Advanced Data Protection. It is not enabled by default but we recommend turning it on right away. Open the Settings app, tap your Apple ID at the top, then select iCloud. Scroll down the page until you see Advanced Data Protection and tap it to get started.

You will have to jump through some hoops to set it all up, which is probably why it isn’t enabled by default. For starters, all of your Apple devices must be updated to the latest operating system (iOS 16, iPadOS 16, and macOS 13.1). Next, you’ll need to create some way to regain access to your account if you lose your device or your passcode because Apple won’t have the encryption keys for your data — which could be a trusted contact or a recovery key.

Why go through all this trouble? Simply put, it takes the keys to your data out of Apple’s hands and returns them to you. Currently, Apple encrypts some of the data on your device with a key You are you have but that they No – such as health, passwords, keychain, payment information, and Apple Card transactions. But many important categories, including backups, are encrypted in transit and on Apple servers, using a key controlled by Apple. This means that if a hacker gets into their servers, he can access your data. If a government agency wants this data from Apple, it can decrypt it and give it to them.

Advanced Data Protection adds end-to-end encryption (your keys are on your devices only) to your iCloud backups, photos, notes, reminders, Voice Memos, Safari bookmarks, and more. In fact, only cloud data is Not Encrypted with your keys will be your iCloud mail, contacts, and calendars. It’s worth taking the time to prepare!

Free karaoke with Apple Music Sing

If you are an Apple Music subscriber, you will get: Free karaoke upgrade In iOS 16.2. The feature is called Apple Music Sing, and all you have to do is open the lyrics to any song, just like you’re used to, and look for a small microphone icon. If you see it, you’ll be able to adjust the vocals level – down to the instruments if you feel like it – and follow along with the lyrics in real time just like on a real karaoke machine. Lyrics views are also updated, with better animations to help you follow through.

Not every song with lyrics supports Apple Music Sing, but many do, and the number will increase over time. It’s powered by machine learning rather than playing a separate track without vocals, so not many modernists will get it — it’s limited to iPhone 11 and later, the latest Apple TV 4K, and iPads from the past two years.

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There is a brand new Home organization

You will not We see This feature, but if you use any smart home stuff, it probably does Feel He. She. With iOS 16.2, Apple rewrote the Home app and HomeKit infrastructure to be faster and more reliable. If you’ve been frustrated with long delays in turning lights on or off, or automations that don’t get addressed on time, you may find that this is just the fix you’ve been looking for.

You may need to initiate the update yourself — and it’s a good idea to make sure everyone in your home and all your devices like HomePods and Apple TV are updated first. Open the Home app, tap the (…) button in the upper right, then choose Home Settings. Scroll down and select Software Update. You may see a banner at the top of the screen that says “Home page upgrade available” – this is where you start.

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There are more cool stuff for your lock screen

The customizable lock screen is one of the best features of iOS 16. With iOS 16.2, you get some handy new tools to choose from: Medications to remind you when to take your next dose, and Sleep to help you see how much rest you’re getting (when tracked with your Apple Watch or any other supplement).

If you have an iPhone 14 Pro, you get a big change to the always-on display: the option to hide your background and/or notifications. These will enter very handy, as they make it easier to see if your phone is at rest, and easier to read.

Follow live sports with live activities

Live Activities are rich notifications that update themselves in real time. So instead of getting a new notification every time the status of food delivery updates or a baseball score changes, you’ll see a single widget-like notification that keeps you up to date. Those with the iPhone 14 Pro also get a new experience with Dynamic Island, so they can catch up on something while using other apps.

Sports fans have been waiting to follow their favorite teams using live activities since the release of iOS 16 in September, and the feature finally arrived with iOS 16.2. Open the TV app, then tap watch now tab, scroll down to File sports row, then tap Live Sports. Scroll down and tap Follow your teams. Choose your favorite teams there and you will automatically see information about them in the news along with live activity score updates for the games they are playing.

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Other odds and ends

Of course, there are plenty of other little things in iOS 16.2 that you might appreciate. In addition to permanent security updates, you’ve got improved message search (you can find images by searching in the content), Freeform’s shared whiteboard app, and related news articles in the Weather app. Plus Game Center finally gets SharePlay for multiplayer games and new home screen widgets to show your friends’ activity.