Apple brings important updates for iPhone and Co. and a new app – that’s behind it

This post revolves around the top questions and answers about the latest Apple updates.

What happened?

Apple released a slew of software updates on Tuesday evening (December 13). This not only introduces new features, but also closes dangerous security gaps in the system software.

This includes fixing a new zero-day vulnerability in Apple’s web browser technology that could lead to malicious code execution – and it doesn’t just affect the internal Safari browser.

To perform the updates as quickly as possible, you should open the system settings on the respective device and select «Software update».

What updates are there?

The new system software at a glance:

Mac users who have Big Sur or Monterey installed will also need a separate update to get the latest version of Apple’s browser, Safari 16.2, to fix a variety of browser and web rendering bugs.

What does the new “Freeform” app bring?

Freeform is a so-called whiteboard app for iPhones, iPads and Mac computers. The application is designed for collaborative editing of documents and allows adding various elements to one workspace, including files and photos. iPad users can also sketch and take notes with the Apple Pencil digital pen, iPhone users with their finger or a stylus.

Apple suggests several uses:

What other new features are there?

The IT news portal heise.de summarizes:

Also for the Apple Watch there should be some detailed improvements, including one-handed control with quick actions and the Apple “Noise” app, which should now also take into account the active noise cancellation (ANC) of AirPods Pro and AirPods Max.

How is the Airdrop feature restricted?

The curtailment of the Airdrop feature in China had already generated negative headlines, but Apple is now rolling out the controversial change via an update worldwide.

A full release of AirDrop to receive files from other Apple devices is no longer possible with iOS 16.2 and Co. After a maximum of 10 minutes, the data transfer service will automatically be limited to receiving files from contacts only.

What about iCloud encryption?

With iOS 16.2 and Co. Apple introduces “extensive data protection” for the user data stored in its own online storage service iCloud: for the first time there is the possibility of your own iCloud backup, message backup (iMessage) and iCloud photos, notes, reminders and content with end-to-end encryption. This means that Apple no longer has a second key. However, emails, calendars and contacts are excluded.

The hook: For now, only users in the US can activate the feature and only if all of their own Apple devices are running the very latest version of the operating system. In early 2023, iCloud’s full encryption will be introduced globally.

Sources

(dsc)