iOS 12.2 is here: Apple News+, new Animoji, and more

Right on time, Apple has released the iOS 12.2 software update for iPhone and iPad, enabling support for the just announced Apple News+ subscription service. The update also brings four new Animoji, a whole host of other small features, as well as improvements and tweaks across the board.

Apple News+

The hefty 800 MB update delivers the new Apple News+ subscription service, which is the paid, expanded version of the free Apple News that customers across the US, UK and Australia have been enjoying so far. News+ costs $9.99 a month and opens the gates to high-quality journalism from premium outlets such as The Wall Street Journal and Los Angeles Times, as well as a rich assortment of magazines from many different categories, like Food, Style & Beauty, Business & Politics, Sports, and more.

New Animoji

We have no data on how much people have been using Animoji since it was first introduced with the iPhone X, but it must be enjoying at least some popularity, as Apple keeps adding new characters to play and goof around with.

iOS 12.2 is bringing the cuteness meter even higher by adding the following four Animoji: giraffe, shark, boar, and owl.

Most of the new Animoji seem fun and fairly expressive, with the boar feeling a bit more limiting.

Other updates

iOS 12.2 adds a whole host of other improvements and tweaks to the system. Specifically mentioned in the general release notes is the new ability for Siri to play videos from an iOS device to Apple TV. That means you can ask Siri to play this or that specific video or TV show on your Apple TV, and your digital assistant will now have the power to make that happen.

Aside from that, Apple has changed the TV remote interface to a new full-screen layout which looks more convenient, while AirPlay in general is getting a few updates like better destination organization and the ability to let you browse other apps or play "short form audio and video" locally on the transmitting device without interrupting AirPlay.

For everything else that Apple has tweaked in iOS 12.2, here is the full change-log:

iOS 12.2

• Apple News+ is a new subscription service that extends the Apple News experience with hundreds of magazines and top newspapers
• Our editors handpick top articles and magazine issues, and you also get personalized recommendations on the topics most interesting to you
• Automatic downloads make it easy to read magazine issues offline
• Apple News is now available in Canada, with a free experience that includes handpicked Top Stories, a personalized Today feed, and support for both English and French
• Apple News+ is available in the U.S. and in Canada, with dozens of additional Canadian magazines

• Ask Siri on your iPhone or iPad to play any video, show, movie, sports game, or channel on Apple TV. For example, “Hey Siri, play Free Solo on my TV”

• Four new Animoji—owl, boar, giraffe and shark—are included for iPhone X and later, iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation) and iPad Pro 11-inch

• Dedicated TV controls in Control Center and on the Lock Screen give you quick access to TV controls
• AirPlay multitasking for video allows you to browse other apps, as well as play other short form audio and video files locally on your device without interrupting AirPlay
• AirPlay destinations are now grouped by content type making it faster for you to find what device you want to play to

• Apple Pay Cash customers can now transfer money to their bank accounts instantly using their Visa debit cards
• Wallet app now conveniently displays Apple Pay credit and debit transactions right below the card

• Downtime can be configured with a different schedule for each day of the week
• A new toggle enables easily turning app limits on or off temporarily

• Website sign-in now occurs automatically after filling credentials with Password AutoFill
• Warnings now appear when loading unencrypted webpages
• Removes support for the expired Do Not Track standard to prevent potential use as a fingerprinting variable; Intelligent Tracking Prevention now protects against cross-site tracking by default
• Smart Search Field queries can now be modified by tapping the arrow icon next to search suggestions

• The Browse tab shows more editorial highlights on a single page making it easier to discover new music, playlists, and more

• Support for new AirPods (2nd generation)

• Supports Air Quality Index in Maps for US, UK, and India
• Includes information in Settings on how much time remains on your device’s warranty period
• Supports real-time text (RTT) for phone calls made through a nearby iPhone on iPad and iPod Touch
• Displays a "5G E" icon for iPhone 8 and later, iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation) or iPad Pro 11-inch indicating that users are in an area where AT&T’s 5G Evolution network is available
• Improves quality of audio recordings in Messages
• Improves stability and performance of Apple TV Remote on iOS
• Fixes an issue that prevented some missed calls from appearing in Notification Center
• Addresses an issue where a badge notification could appear on Settings even though no action is needed
• Addresses an issue in Settings > General > iPhone Storage where the storage size of some large apps, the System category, and the Other category in the storage bar graph could be incorrect
• Fixes an issue that could cause Voice Memos to automatically play back recordings after connecting to a car Bluetooth device
• Resolves an issue that could cause Voice Memos to temporarily prevent renaming a recording

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