Apple has today released iOS 16.2 and iPadOS 16.2 to the general public, which is now the second major update to the operating system since they were released back in September. iOS 16.2 follows on from iOS 16.1 which brought support for Matter, the new smart home standard, iCloud Shared Photo Library and Live Activities.
iOS 16.2 and iPadOS 16.2 are both available now and can be downloaded by going to Settings > General > Software Update. The update is compatible with all devices that are running iOS 16 currently.
As for what’s new, there are about 3 main headlining features that Apple has added with this release, such as the new Freeform app, Apple Music Sing and the new Home app architecture, designed to improve the efficiency and reliability of HomeKit installations.
The new Freeform comes pre-installed and is like a whiteboard, available for Mac, iPad and iPhone and allows for SharePlay to work with friends or colleagues on a project. Apple has also added support for ‘Advanced Data Protection for iCloud’ in the US, with support coming to other countries in 2023.
Apple Music Sing is a new karaoke feature and allows people to sing along with pretty much all the music on Apple Music, with it automatically stripping the voice out so you can sing along.
For the iPad models (iPad Pro 12.9-inch 5th generation and later, iPad Pro 11-inch 3rd generation and later, and iPad Air 5th generation) support for Stage Manager on external displays is here with this update, up to 6K in resolution.
