iOS 16.2 debuted with long-awaited features such as new always-on screen settings, Apple Music Sing, and advanced data protection.
Apple rolled out iOS 16.2 to compatible devices on December 14, with features such as customizable always-on display settings, support for Apple Music Sing, and end-to-end encryption with Advanced Data Protection for iCloud. Shortly after iOS 16.1 came out in late October, insiders predicted that the next software update wouldn’t hit iPhones until mid-December. As the expected release date of iOS 16.2 approaches, more information has been revealed about the content of the update. Developer beta versions of the software showed that the always-on display settings became increasingly customizable. Apple also announced that Apple Music Sing and Advanced Data Protection would be available by the end of the month.
iOS 16.2 brings all-new features and refines old ones to meet user requests. Apple’s latest iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max came with an always-on display that dims a user’s lock screen, which can be distracting in some situations. Now, with iOS 16.2, users can hide their wallpaper and notifications when the always-on display is activated. Navigate to Settings > Display & brightness > Always on display will reveal a standalone settings page with the toggles’Show wallpaper‘ and ‘Show notifications.’
iOS 16.2 adds Apple Music Sing and advanced data protection
The update also adds Apple Music Sing, a feature reserved for Apple Music subscribers that can turn eligible devices into karaoke machines. Apple Music’s sing feature supports thousands of songs (easily found in 50 Apple-curated playlists) and can display lyrics in real time to help users sing along to their favorite songs to the beat. Most importantly, Sing offers a vocal volume slider, which allows users to reduce the volume of a song’s original vocals.
Users can discover Apple Music Sing content on the “To leaf through‘, but they won’t be able to access the content or feature until they update to iOS 16.2. Apple Music Sing is also limited to specific devices that meet the processing power required to mute the vocal volume of compatible songs. The karaoke feature will be available on iPhone 11 and later, iPhone SE (3rd generation), iPad (9th generation) and later, iPad Mini 6, 4th and 5th generation iPad Air, and recent iPad Pro devices.
iCloud backups become more secure with iOS 16.2 with the optional advanced data protection feature, which protects user backups with end-to-end encryption. Aside from backups, the total number of iCloud services that are end-to-end encrypted increases from 14 to 23 after the update. The only major iCloud services that are not secured with end-to-end encryption are Mail, Contacts, and Calendar, as they are used with other services.
For the latest software update, go to Settings > General > Software Update and follow the onscreen instructions to install iOS 16.2. As the ‘Software updatesettings page says an iPhone is already up to date, iOS 16.2 may be updated automatically.
Source: Apple