Apple iOS 13.1.2: Another Surprise Update With More Essential Fixes

Apple released iOS 13 on September 19. Since then, there’s been iOS 13.1, followed by iOS 13.1.1 last Friday. Today, the fourth iOS 13 iteration has dropped. Here’s everything you need to know including what’s in it and how to download it.

Incidentally, the update is pretty much all about fixing issues. Personally, I haven’t come across any of them. Still, updating to the latest software means it won’t happen.

This update comes just three days after the last, so we must hope no new issues have sprung up where others have been sorted. To be sure, check out Gordon Kelly’s essential Should You Upgrade? feature here on Forbes which will follow soon.

Last time around I said the next update would be iOS 13.2. I won’t make the same prediction today!

How to get it

I mean, by now, you must really know the drill. Simply go to the Settings app on the iPhone or iPad where it’s called iPadOS 13.1.2, and then choose General, then Software Update.

Click on Download and Install and let it do its work. It won’t take long, it’s a smaller update than the other iOS 13 software downloads.

What’s new?

As you might surmise from the fact that this update has come so soon after the last one, bug squishing is the main focus of today’s iOS 13.1.2 software.

iCloud Backup

First of all, iCloud Backup has been showing a progress bar even after a backup has completed. This is now fixed. More of an inconvenience than a tragedy but worth fixing.

Camera

More seriously, there has been an issue with the camera not working. Given that the latest iPhones have the most advanced cameras Apple has put in its devices, this is pretty important. Anyway, Apple says it’s fixed. This applies to the iPhone only.

Flashlight

The flashlight, which launches from the lock screen, as the camera can, has been refusing to activate for some users. Which is annoying. Sorted now. This is also an iPhone-specific issue.

Display

On the iPhone only, a bug has been squished that could have resulted in a loss of display calibration data.

Shortcuts

This issue affects iPhones and iPads and means some shortcuts could not be run from the Apple HomePod.

Bluetooth

There’s been an issue where Bluetooth could disconnect on certain vehicles – this is an iPhone-only concern.

I’ve included the full Apple changelog for both the iPhone and iPad at the very bottom of this post.

The previous iOS 13 updates

iOS 13.1.1

This update is just days old, having launched on September 27, 2019. The big element was a fix for the flaw which led some third-party keyboards access the iPhone even when permission hadn’t been granted.

It also offered a solution to problems with battery drain, rather in contrast to the battery life gain which iOS 13 is all about.

Restoring from a backup was a problem in this update as well as the latest one. Siri recognition is better and syncing in Reminders shouldn’t be slow any longer.

iOS 13.1

This came out on September 24, 2019 and sought to fix issues and squish bugs such as problems opening the camera properly, improperly behaving wallpapers, text entry issues and so on. There was also a fix to a battery management problem. New features included activating the U1 chip in the latest iPhones which gives the handsets a form of spatial awareness, improving AirDrop immediately and with other benefits set to follow. The Shortcuts app also saw extra support and more features. The facility to send your ETA to others from Maps was added.

iOS 13

Released on September 19, 2019, this was a very big release with an awful lot in it.  For full details, read the indepth analysis here.

Features include:

Dark mode to make the iPhone’s interface less glaring in a low-light environment, for instance. App developers can integrate Dark Mode into their apps so that the iPhone has a consistent look. Sign in with Apple lets you sign up to apps with your Apple ID and Apple will keep the site or app at arm’s length. You can sign in using Face ID or Touch ID as appropriate. Maps has been updated with a new street-level look and in-depth mapping on selected cities.

Photos and Camera apps have been seriously altered with a new look to the Photos tab and significant editing upgrades. Siri sounds more natural and will offer personalized recommendations. Remindershas been completely overhauled, and Notes has a new gallery view. Find My combines Find My iPhone and Find My Friends. It will help to locate offline devices, too.

QuickPath is the new way to enter text by swiping. It’s very cool.

Text editing has been improved, though the elegant magnifying glass which used to appear when you touched a word, making it visible even though the word itself was hidden under your thumb, say, has gone. I hope it’s coming back soon.

Among the miscellaneous treats are a pro-active system that tells you which apps have been accessing your location, for example. A message says how often it has done so in a set period of time and you can leave things as they are or adjust. It’s a very simple but highly reassuring detail.

[“source=forbes”]