Apple Releases Fifth Developer Beta of iOS 12.2 [Update: Public Beta Available]

[MacRumors]

Apple today seeded the fifth beta of an upcoming iOS 12.2 update to developers for testing purposes, one week after seeding the fourth beta of iOS 12.2 and more than a month after the release of iOS 12.1.4.

Registered developers can download the new iOS 12.2 beta from Apple's Developer Center or over-the-air once the proper configuration profile has been installed from the Developer Center.

iOS 12.2 expands Apple News to Canada for the first time, with Canadian iPhone and iPad users able to read news stories in English, French, or both. Apple says that during the beta, content will be more limited than it will be when the update is released.

There are four new Animoji included the iOS 12.2 beta, including a boar, a shark, a giraffe, and an owl. Animoji can be used within the Messages and FaceTime apps.

The software introduces support for AirPlay 2 and HomeKit on third-party TVs in light of recent AirPlay 2 announcements, with a new option for limiting TV access joining the speaker access option in the Home app. There's also a redesigned TV remote in Control Center, and when paired with tvOS 12.2, you can ask Siri to play specific TV shows, movies, and music on your HomeKit devices like the Apple TV.

For some AT&T users, there's a new "5G E" icon for the cellular signal, replacing the standard LTE icon. This is a bit misleading of AT&T, because the iPhone does not support 5G, nor is the network AT&T calls 5G E actual 5G. Instead, it's an upgraded version of LTE, with more info available here.

The Wallet app's interface has been streamlined and tweaked, there's a new interface for Apple Pay Cash, and the Downtime feature in Screen Time now allows you to customize by day. Apple has also made minor changes to some icons (including Apple News, AirPlay, and Remote in Control Center) and has introduced new Safari features, with a full list of changes introduced throughout the beta testing period available in our iOS 12.2 tidbits post.

Apple is improving Safari's privacy in iOS 12.2 through a new Motion & Orientation toggle located under Settings > Safari > Privacy >Security, which is disabled by default. The setting needs to be enabled on to allow websites to display content that relies on motion data from the accelerometer and gyroscope in the iPhone and iPad.

iOS 12.2 confirms that Apple is planning to release second-generation AirPods with "Hey Siri" support, thanks to a hidden "Hey Siri" AirPods setup screen in the beta. The inclusion of the AirPods setup option in the beta indicates that Apple could perhaps be planning to release new AirPods when iOS 12.2 is released.

The update also features hints of an upcoming Apple News subscription service, which could see a Texture-like magazine service added to Apple News. The Apple News subscription service is expected to be introduced at an upcoming March 25 event, and we could see iOS 12.2 released shortly afterwards.

What's new in iOS 12.2 beta 5: In iOS 12.2, when setting up a new Apple Watch, Apple is using location to make sure the ECG feature is available in a particular region, suggesting the company may be planning to geofence ECG functionality and limit it to the United States.

This would potentially prevent customers who purchased a U.S. Apple Watch but live in another country from using the ECG feature. Location is verified via SIM card and can't be bypassed during Apple Watch setup. 9to5Mac says there are also hints of upcoming changes to Wallet to support the integration of a new Goldman Sachs credit card and indications that work on AirPower is continuing.

Article Link: Apple Releases Fifth Developer Beta of iOS 12.2 [Update: Public Beta Available]

 

[snowboarder]

Finaly the shark animoji!!! Thank you Tim, you are great!

 

[DBZmusicboy01]

€_^
[doublepost=1552320635][/doublepost].

 

[iGeneo]

Getting there... though I have been experiencing the lag / freeze at times

 

[AngerDanger]

Ugh, I can't believe how much effort Apple engineers must put into emoji! Stuff like this never would've flown back at the old Apple!

On an entirely unrelated note, did anybody else read that illuminating article about Clarus the dogcow, a glyph in one of the Macintosh's wingding fonts that endeared itself to engineers of the time?

 

[alphaswift]

Does anyone over the age of 12 use Animojis? Why does Apple continue to spend money on this? Give me an accessible file system instead of a shark face.

 

[hermes16]

Does anyone over the age of 12 use Animojis? Why does Apple continue to spend money on this? Give me an accessible file system instead of a shark face.

What would you expect from "the Hack from compaq"

 

[lunarworks]

I'm looking forward to finally being able to use Apple News when this thing releases.

 

[Pepe4life]

Hey Apple, how about fixing the settings app that still freezes periodically for no reason? Last time I checked, most people (teenagers included) don’t use Animojis

 

[calzon65]

AT&T's new 5G E signal indicator is sooooo misleading.

 

[DeathBecomesMe]

One can only hope they can make Apple Music pick up where you left off, on bluetooth and usb. I know it's a huge ask.

 

[citysnaps]

Does anyone over the age of 12 use Animojis? Why does Apple continue to spend money on this? Give me an accessible file system instead of a shark face.

Head on over to Best Buy and purchase a Samsung phone. Happiness is within reach, just takes a wee bit of courage.

 

[otternonsense]

I wish there was something that would interest me in this update as an iPhone 8 user that doesn't own an Apple TV and lives in Germany (therefore News and Apple cash are not available).

Quasi-curious about the new Safari features.
[doublepost=1552322463][/doublepost]

Head on over to Best Buy and purchase a Samsung phone. Happiness is within reach, just takes a wee bit of courage.

Happiness is also to use your ecosystem of choice and have it provide useful features across the board. Who are you to ostracise Apple users who simply want a better experience from their native platform?

The problem is not that Animoji's are an infantile gimmick –it's that all recent updates seem to be revolving around infantile gimmicks like Animoji's. Why can't we have both advanced features and playful little nothings?

 

[suedehed]

Does anyone over the age of 12 use Animojis? Why does Apple continue to spend money on this? Give me an accessible file system instead of a shark face.

I get your point on the apparent uselessness of them. However, as a dad of 2, they are priceless.. I spend half the year traveling for work, and they love when I use them in facetime conversations. So yea, they aren't solving world hunger, or making iOS better, but they absolutely make my kids laugh so they do extend the usefulness for me.

 

[citysnaps]

Happiness is also to use your ecosystem of choice and have it provide useful features across the board. Who are you to ostracise Apple users who simply want a better experience from their native platform?

The problem is not that Animoji's are an infantile gimmick –it's that all recent updates seem to be revolving around infantile gimmicks like Animoji's. Why can't we have both advanced features and playful little nothings?

You can. Simply purchase a Samsung phone. Easy.

As adults we have to make choices in life. Simply choose the feature set and device that meets your requirements.

 

[realtuner]

The problem is not that Animoji's are an infantile gimmick –it's that all recent updates seem to be revolving around infantile gimmicks like Animoji's. Why can't we have both advanced features and playful little nothings?

Funny, I read the releases notes and it didn’t appear to revolve around Animoji’s at all. There are a lot of tweaks and features along with multiple security bug fixes.

Seems like it’s a few users who try to spin this release as being about Animoji, for whatever reason.

 

[citysnaps]

Seems like it’s a few users who try to spin this release as being about Animoji, for whatever reason.

Sadly, that's the way it is here. With respect to reasons...it's just another opportunity to crap on Apple, and, bring a little bit of happiness and power into one's life that otherwise does not exist.

 

[I7guy]

I wish there was something that would interest me in this update as an iPhone 8 user that doesn't own an Apple TV and lives in Germany (therefore News and Apple cash are not available).

Quasi-curious about the new Safari features.
[doublepost=1552322463][/doublepost]

Happiness is also to use your ecosystem of choice and have it provide useful features across the board. Who are you to ostracise Apple users who simply want a better experience from their native platform?

The problem is not that Animoji's are an infantile gimmick –it's that all recent updates seem to be revolving around infantile gimmicks like Animoji's. Why can't we have both advanced features and playful little nothings?

I like these infantile little gimmicks. Do you believe Apple is such a small company it can either deliver Animoji or a substantial update?

 

[otternonsense]

You can. Simply purchase a Samsung phone. Easy.

As adults we have to make choices in life. Simply choose the feature set and device that meets your requirements.

Well, as an adult user of Apple products I choose to ignore your contrarian trolling.
[doublepost=1552323621][/doublepost]

I like these infantile little gimmicks. Do you believe Apple is such a small company it can either deliver Animoji or a substantial update?

I believe that they seem to be unable to deliver both in the past few years and certainly it isn't due to lack of budget.

 

[techdetention]

@MacRumors How did you guys know about this release today? This was posted before Apples scheduled release time of normally 10:00 AM PST or 1:00 PM EST. I understand Apple stages releases by Time Zone so you guys would see it sooner but there is no indication that Apple would have released that ahead of schedule.

 

[macguru212]

Does anyone over the age of 12 use Animojis? Why does Apple continue to spend money on this? Give me an accessible file system instead of a shark face.

Get 'em hooked when they're young!

That's how you build a user base these days.

 

[mofoliar]

Mine is not showing 5G E any longer!

AT&T's new 5G E signal indicator is sooooo misleading.[/QUOTE

 

[Antoni Nygaard]

Why are these articles coming just a few hours before the release.... Why not just article with the release of the update itself.

EDIT: Did you just remove "Today" from the headline?

 

[Solver]

Why are these articles coming just a few hours before the release.... Why not just article with the release of the update itself.

I like it. Gives me a chance to backup all our devices on iTunes before I update them.

 

[jonnyb098]

Funny, I read the releases notes and it didn’t appear to revolve around Animoji’s at all. There are a lot of tweaks and features along with multiple security bug fixes.

Seems like it’s a few users who try to spin this release as being about Animoji, for whatever reason.

Haters gonna hate because Animoji, while not a major feature, is the most tangible to millions of users outside of the geekdom.

Anyone arguing against them could also argue why millions and millions of people use snapchat filters. Get over it. Its the world we live in , people love this stuff. Its accessible to all ages and hilarious as hell when you put something like animoji in front of older people. Whats wrong with something thats simply.....fun?