Last night Apple rolled out new software updates across all of its devices. iPhone and iPad owners can now update to iOS and iPadOS 15.2 and macOS users can update to Monterey 12.1. All the new software updates come with a range of new features and improvements. In iOS 15.2, Apple has released its Digital Legacy Program, App Privacy Report and the new Apple Music voice-only plan. They also finally fixed the iPhone 13 Pro Macro Mode by adding a toggle to the camera app.

In macOS 12.1, users can now make use of SharePlay on their devices. In SharePlay, users can enjoy entertainment like music, movies and games while participating in a FaceTime call. This lets you watch shows, listen to music and play games as a community call with friends and family.

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Unfortunately, The highly anticipated Universal Control feature, which was originally meant to release in October has been delayed. In fact, Apple excluded the feature from the most recent iOS and macOS update completely. This means not even beta users were able to test it out. Universal Control is a big deal as Apple says it will allow users to bridge all their iOS devices together and use a single mouse to move from one device to the other. You can then also drag and drop content between two devices.

For example, you can use two MacBooks or a MacBook and an iPad. Users can then drag documents from each device to the other while seamlessly moving from one screen to the next. So you can draw something on your iPad and move it to your Mac to email or upload. Apple says Universal Control is expected to launch sometime “this spring” which is March 2022 for us who don’t use seasons to date stuff.

So if you’re using an Apple device, you can update to the latest software and expect these key new features:

iOS 15.2

Apple Music Voice Plan

• Apple Music Voice Plan is a new subscription tier that gives you access to all songs, playlists, and stations in Apple Music using Siri
• Just Ask Siri suggests music based on your listening history and likes or dislikes
• Play it Again lets you access a list of your recently played music

Privacy

• App Privacy Report in Settings lets you see how often apps have accessed your location, photos, camera, microphone, contacts and more during the last seven days, as well as their network activity

Messages

• Communication safety setting gives parents the ability to enable warnings for children when they receive or send photos that contain nudity
• Safety warnings contain helpful resources for children when they receive photos that contain nudity

Siri and Search

• Expanded guidance in Siri, Spotlight and Safari Search to help children and parents stay safe online and get help with unsafe situations

Apple ID

• Digital Legacy allows you to designate people as Legacy Contacts so they can access your iCloud account and personal information in the event of your death

Camera

• Macro photo control for switching to the Ultra Wide lens to capture macro photos and videos can be enabled in Settings on iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max

TV app

• Store tab lets you browse, buy, and rent movies and TV Shows all in one place

CarPlay

• Enhanced city map in Apple Maps with road details like turn lanes, medians, bike lanes, and pedestrian crosswalks for supported cities

This release also includes the following enhancements for your iPhone:

• Hide My Email is available in the Mail app for iCloud+ subscribers to create unique, random email addresses
• Find My can locate iPhone for up to five hours when in Power Reserve
• Stocks allows you to view the currency for a ticker and see year-to-date performance when viewing charts
• Reminders and Notes now allow you to delete or rename tags

This release also includes bug fixes for your iPhone:

• Siri may not respond while VoiceOver is running and iPhone is locked
• ProRAW photos may appear overexposed when viewing in third-party photo editing apps
• HomeKit scenes that include a garage door may not run from CarPlay when your iPhone is locked
• CarPlay may not update Now Playing information for certain apps
• Video streaming apps may not load content on iPhone 13 models
• Calendar events may appear on the wrong day for Microsoft Exchange users

macOS 12.1

macOS Monterey 12.1 adds SharePlay, an entirely new way to have shared experiences with family and friends in FaceTime. This update also includes the Apple Music Voice Plan, new safety features for children and parents in Messages, redesigned Memories in Photos, and other features and bug fixes for your Mac.

SharePlay

• SharePlay is a new way to share synchronized experiences in FaceTime with content from the Apple TV app, Apple Music, and other supported apps
• Shared controls give everyone the ability to pause, play, rewind or fast forward
• Smart volume automatically lowers the audio of a movie, TV show or song when you or your friends speak
• Screen sharing lets everyone on a FaceTime call look at photos, browse the web, or help each other out
• See the compatible apps here.

Apple Music Voice Plan

• Apple Music Voice Plan is a new subscription tier that gives you access to all songs, playlists, and stations in Apple Music using Siri
• Just Ask Siri suggests music based on your listening history and likes or dislikes
• Play it Again lets you access a list of your recently played music

Photos

• Memories has been redesigned with a new interactive interface, new animation and transition styles, and multiple image collages
• New Memory types include additional international holidays, child-focused memories, trends over time, and improved pet memories

Messages

• Communication safety setting gives parents the ability to enable warnings for children when they receive or send photos that contain nudity
   
• Safety warnings contain helpful resources for children when they receive photos that contain nudity

Siri and Search

• Expanded guidance in Siri, Spotlight and Safari Search to help children and parents stay safe online and get help with unsafe situations

Apple ID

• Digital Legacy allows you to designate people as Legacy Contacts so they can access your iCloud account and personal information in the event of your death

TV App

• Store tab lets you browse, buy, and rent movies and TV Shows all in one place

This release also includes the following enhancements for your Mac:

• Hide My Email is available in the Mail app for iCloud+ subscribers to create unique, random email addresses
• Stocks allows you to view the currency for a ticker and see year-to-date performance when viewing charts
• Reminders and Notes now allow you to delete or rename tags

This release also includes bug fixes for your Mac:

• Desktop and Screen Saver may appear blank after selecting photos from the Photos library
• Trackpad could become unresponsive to taps or clicks
• External displays may not charge some MacBook Pro and MacBook Air computers when connected using Thunderbolt or USB-C
• HDR video playback on YouTube.com could cause 2021 MacBook Pro computers to panic
• Menu bar extras may be obscured by the camera housing on 2021 MacBook Pro computers
• MagSafe may stop charging on 2021 16-inch MacBook Pro computers when lid is closed and system is shut down