Thursday, March 28, 2024

Apple Releases iOS 14.2 and iPadOS 14.2 With New Emoji, Control Center Music Recognition, Intercom, Wallpapers and More

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Apple today released iOS 14.2 and iPadOS 14.2, the second major updates to the iOS and iPadOS 14 operating system updates that were released in September. iOS 14.2 and iPadOS 14.2 come two weeks after the launch of iOS 14.1.

The iOS 14.2 update can be downloaded for free and it is available on all eligible devices over-the-air in the Settings app. To access the new software, go to Settings > General > Software Update. Apple has also released iOS 12.4.9 for older devices.

Apple traditionally updates iOS with new emojis each fall, and iOS 14.2 is the emoji update. iOS and iPadOS 14.2 include new Emoji 13 characters with options that include smiling face with tear, ninja, pinched fingers, anatomical heart, black cat, mammoth, polar bear, dodo, fly, bell pepper, tamale, bubble tea, potted plant, piñata, plunger, wand, feather, hut, and more, with a full list available here.


Along with emoji, iOS 14.2 includes support for Intercom, which turns the HomePod, HomePod mini, and other devices into intercoms that can be used throughout the home.

Intercom allows family members to communicate with one another in the home by sending and receiving spoke messages through HomePod speakers or through iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, AirPods, and CarPlay. Intercom can be activated by saying “Hey ‌Siri‌, Intercom” to activate it, followed by a message, and it can even be used when people are away from home.


You can choose specific HomePods or devices in the home to send a message to everyone in the household or send a reply to an Intercom message sent by someone else. On devices like ‌iPhone‌ and ‌iPad‌, Intercom messages are shown as notifications with the option to listen to an audio message.

Also related to HomePod, the standard full-size HomePod can now be connected to Apple TV 4K for stereo, surround sound, and Dolby Atmos audio.

In Control Center, there’s a new Music Recognition toggle that the integration of the Apple-owned Shazam app in the iOS operating system. Music Recognition lets you discover music playing around you and it can recognize music playing in apps even when you’re wearing AirPods.


Music Recognition can be added to Control Center through the Settings app, and it can be used by activating the Control Center and then tapping on the Shazam icon to song recognition, a process simpler than asking Siri or opening the Shazam app.

There’s a redesigned Now Playing widget in the Control Center that lists recently played albums that you might want to listen to when no music is playing. There’s also a redesigned interface for AirPlay, which makes it easier to play music across multiple AirPlay 2-compatible devices at the same time.


AirPods owners should know that the iOS 14.2 update adds optimized battery charging for the AirPods, which will slow battery aging by reducing the amount of time that AirPods spend fully charged. The feature works by monitoring your usage habits and avoiding a full charge until just before the AirPods are needed.


For iPad Air owners, the iPadOS 14 update adds new A14 camera functionality that was also introduced in the iPhone 12 lineup. Scene Detection uses intelligent image recognition to identify objects to improve photos, and Auto FPS reduces frame rate when recording video to improve low light capture.


For those with low vision, Apple added a new “People Detection” accessibility feature in the Magnifier app that takes advantage of the camera to let iPhone users know how far away other people are, a useful tool for social distancing.


For the Apple Watch app on the ‌iPhone‌, Apple tweaked the design slightly, updating the watch with one of the new Solo Loop Apple Watch bands included with the Apple Watch Series 6 and the Apple Watch SE.


With the iOS 14.2 update, Apple Card users will get a yearly spending history option that allows them to see how much they’ve spent in the current calendar year and how much Daily Cash they’ve earned. Before iOS 14.2, Apple Card spending activity was limited to a weekly or monthly summary.


There are eight new wallpaper options available in iOS 14.2, both with artistic and realistic scenes with different looks for dark and light mode.


Apple has also addressed a number of bugs, with full release notes for the iOS 14.2 update below:

iOS 14.2 includes the following improvements for your iPhone:
– Over 100 new emoji, including animals, food, faces, household objects, musical instruments, gender-inclusive emoji, and more
– Eight new wallpapers in both light and dark mode versions
– Magnifier can detect people nearby, and report their distance using the LiDAR sensor included in iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max
– Support for iPhone 12 Leather Sleeve with MagSafe
– Optimized battery charging for AirPods to slow the rate of battery aging by reducing the time your AirPods spends fully charged
– Headphone audio level notifications to alert you when audio level could impact your hearing
– New AirPlay controls to stream entertainment throughout your home
– Intercom support with HomePod and HomePod mini using iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, AirPods, and CarPlay
– Ability to connect HomePod to Apple TV 4K for stereo, surround sound, and Dolby Atmos audio
– Option to provide statistics about Exposure Notifications, without identifying you, to participating Public Health Authorities

This release also fixes the following issues:
– Apps could be out of order on the Home Screen dock
– Camera viewfinder may appear black when launched
– The keyboard on the Lock Screen could miss touches when trying to enter the passcode
– Reminders could default to times in the past
– Photos widget may not display content
– Weather widget could display the high temperature in Celsius when set to Fahrenheit
– Next-hour precipitation chart description in Weather could incorrectly indicate when precipitation stops
– Voice Memos recordings are interrupted by incoming calls
– The screen could be black during Netflix video playback
– Apple Cash could fail to send or receive money when asked via Siri
– Apple Watch app may unexpectedly close when opened
– Workout GPS routes or Health data are prevented from syncing between Apple Watch and iPhone for some users
– Audio is incorrectly labeled as “Not Playing” in the CarPlay Dashboard
– Devices could be prevented from charging wirelessly
– Exposure Notifications is disabled when restoring iPhone from iCloud Backup or transferring data to a new iPhone using iPhone Migration

Apple also has separate notes for the iPadOS 14 update:

iPadOS 14.2 includes the following improvements for your iPad:
– Over 100 new emoji, including animals, food, faces, household objects, musical instruments, gender-inclusive emoji, and more
– Eight new wallpapers in both light and dark mode versions
– Magnifier can detect people nearby, and report their distance using the LiDAR sensor included in iPad Pro 12.9-inch (4th generation) and iPad Pro 11-inch (2nd generation)
– Scene Detection in Camera uses intelligent image recognition to identify objects within a scene and automatically improves the photo on iPad Air (4th generation)
– Auto FPS in Camera automatically reduces the frame rate when recording video to improve low light capture and to optimize file size on iPad Air (4th generation)
– Optimized battery charging for AirPods to slow the rate of battery aging by reducing the time your AirPods spends fully charged
– New AirPlay controls to stream entertainment throughout your home
– Intercom support with HomePod and HomePod mini using iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, AirPods, and CarPlay
– Ability to connect HomePod to Apple TV 4K for stereo, surround sound, and Dolby Atmos audio

This release also fixes the following issues:
– Camera viewfinder may appear black when launched
– The keyboard on the Lock Screen could miss touches when trying to enter the passcode
– Reminders could default to times in the past
– Photos widget may not display content
– Weather widget could display the high temperature in Celsius when set to Fahrenheit
– Voice Memos recordings are interrupted by incoming calls
– The screen could be black during Netflix video playback
– Apple Cash could fail to send or receive money when asked via Siri

For more on all of the new features in iOS 14, make sure to check out our iOS 14 roundup.Related Roundups: iOS 14, iPadOS 14
This article, “Apple Releases iOS 14.2 and iPadOS 14.2 With New Emoji, Control Center Music Recognition, Intercom, Wallpapers and More” first appeared on MacRumors.com

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