Apple releases iOS 15.2 & iPadOS 15.2 with legacy contacts, Apple Music Voice, more

AppleInsiderAppleInsider
Posted:
in iOS edited December 2021
The new iOS 15.2 and iPadOS 15.2 are now available, bringing with them updates to Find My and AirTags, plus the new legacy contacts and privacy features, as well as introducing Apple Music Voice.

Apple's iPhone
Apple's iPhone


Following their many beta releases, the iOS 15.2 and iPadOS 15.2 editions are rolling out worldwide. Users can wait to be prompted to update, or check out Software Update in the Settings app.

As befits their point-update numbers, the 15.2 releases are chiefly refinements and bug fixes, though there are significant improvements.

The refinements include changes to the Find My app, which now contains an extra option designed to quell fears of stalking via AirTags. A new "Items That Can Track Me" feature shows whether there are any devices nearby that can be used to track a user.

Apple has also taken this opportunity to introduce what it calls Child Safety in Messages. This was previously launched as part of a "jumbled" series of child protection measures.

This new version sees Messages on a children's account block potentially disturbing images. In earlier versions of the idea as seen in beta releases, receiving such a message would also send a notification to the child's parents or legal guardians, but that has been removed.

What's been added is an entirely new Legacy Contact feature. Now users can nominate a person who is to have full access to your Apple ID account in the event of your death.

Also new is support for Apple Music Voice. As announced in October, this is a new, lower cost Apple Music tier that lets users access the music catalog using Siri.

Then in the last of the significant changes, iOS 15.2 and iPadOS 15.2 introduce an enhanced App Privacy Report. Alongside existing protections, such as Private Relay, the new App Privacy Report will detail which of a user's apps have been accessing the microphone, or camera.

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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 24
    MustSeeUHDTVMustSeeUHDTV Posts: 304member
    That good that they added that "extra option designed to quell fears of stalking via AirTags. A new "Items That Can Track Me" feature shows whether there are any devices nearby that can be used to track a user."

    Looks like people are using it for crimes already......
    https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/verify/technology-verify/airtags-strangers-unknown-can-track-location-even-if-not-your-own/536-11082147-7387-46e2-81c4-8327f839d735
    edited December 2021
  • Reply 2 of 24
    d-reyd-rey Posts: 10member
    Yeah, but now when a criminal steals something with an AirTag hidden in it, Apple has created a way for them to quickly find & disable it.  I guess they’re really only good for something you accidentally lose.  Any notion of theft-deterrent or recovery is killed by this feature.  
  • Reply 3 of 24
    fred1fred1 Posts: 1,112member
    d-rey said:
    Yeah, but now when a criminal steals something with an AirTag hidden in it, Apple has created a way for them to quickly find & disable it.  I guess they’re really only good for something you accidentally lose.  Any notion of theft-deterrent or recovery is killed by this feature.  
    It’s the problem of striking a balance between being able to use AirTags to track stolen items and preventing people from using them to stalk people. I’m disappointed that I can no longer depend on my AirTags to locate a stolen car, briefcase, suitcase, etc., etc.  That was my main reason for wanting them. 
  • Reply 4 of 24
    dope_ahminedope_ahmine Posts: 253member
    fred1 said:
    d-rey said:
    Yeah, but now when a criminal steals something with an AirTag hidden in it, Apple has created a way for them to quickly find & disable it.  I guess they’re really only good for something you accidentally lose.  Any notion of theft-deterrent or recovery is killed by this feature.  
    It’s the problem of striking a balance between being able to use AirTags to track stolen items and preventing people from using them to stalk people. I’m disappointed that I can no longer depend on my AirTags to locate a stolen car, briefcase, suitcase, etc., etc.  That was my main reason for wanting them. 
    The product developers at Apple need to screw their brains in and become innovative again. There is a beautiful solution that fulfills both these use cases, but obviously Apple hasn’t found it yet. Can you see it?
    williamlondon
  • Reply 5 of 24
    MplsPMplsP Posts: 3,929member
    fred1 said:
    d-rey said:
    Yeah, but now when a criminal steals something with an AirTag hidden in it, Apple has created a way for them to quickly find & disable it.  I guess they’re really only good for something you accidentally lose.  Any notion of theft-deterrent or recovery is killed by this feature.  
    It’s the problem of striking a balance between being able to use AirTags to track stolen items and preventing people from using them to stalk people. I’m disappointed that I can no longer depend on my AirTags to locate a stolen car, briefcase, suitcase, etc., etc.  That was my main reason for wanting them. 
    Exactly. What’s the difference between stalking someone with an AirTag and tracking a lost item? Functionally nothing, it’s a matter of intent and who happens to own the device the AirTag is attached to. 

    From a PR perspective, The negative PR Apple will get from a stalking case far and away outweighs any positive PR they may get from someone recovering a stolen bag. 
    williamlondonlkruppGeorgeBMac
  • Reply 6 of 24
    fastasleepfastasleep Posts: 6,417member
    dope_ahmine said:
    fred1 said:
    d-rey said:
    Yeah, but now when a criminal steals something with an AirTag hidden in it, Apple has created a way for them to quickly find & disable it.  I guess they’re really only good for something you accidentally lose.  Any notion of theft-deterrent or recovery is killed by this feature.  
    It’s the problem of striking a balance between being able to use AirTags to track stolen items and preventing people from using them to stalk people. I’m disappointed that I can no longer depend on my AirTags to locate a stolen car, briefcase, suitcase, etc., etc.  That was my main reason for wanting them. 
    The product developers at Apple need to screw their brains in and become innovative again. There is a beautiful solution that fulfills both these use cases, but obviously Apple hasn’t found it yet. Can you see it?
    Great armchair product designer vaguepost. 
    williamlondonlkruppGeorgeBMacDAalseth
  • Reply 7 of 24
    technotechno Posts: 737member
    I wish Apple would give us the one feature every pet owner has been begging for. Give us the ability to have more than one person track an item. If we put one on a pet, the whole family wants to track it.
  • Reply 8 of 24
    fred1fred1 Posts: 1,112member
    techno said:
    I wish Apple would give us the one feature every pet owner has been begging for. Give us the ability to have more than one person track an item. If we put one on a pet, the whole family wants to track it.
    I agree and I don’t understand why this isn’t offered. The ability for more than one person to track an item would be very useful, whether that be a pet, a suitcase, a car, etc.
    williamlondon
  • Reply 9 of 24
    fred1fred1 Posts: 1,112member
    dope_ahmine said:
    fred1 said:
    d-rey said:
    Yeah, but now when a criminal steals something with an AirTag hidden in it, Apple has created a way for them to quickly find & disable it.  I guess they’re really only good for something you accidentally lose.  Any notion of theft-deterrent or recovery is killed by this feature.  
    It’s the problem of striking a balance between being able to use AirTags to track stolen items and preventing people from using them to stalk people. I’m disappointed that I can no longer depend on my AirTags to locate a stolen car, briefcase, suitcase, etc., etc.  That was my main reason for wanting them. 
    The product developers at Apple need to screw their brains in and become innovative again. There is a beautiful solution that fulfills both these use cases, but obviously Apple hasn’t found it yet. Can you see it?
    No, but you obviously want to tell me what it is. So go ahead, I’ll take the bait.
    spock1234
  • Reply 10 of 24
    macguimacgui Posts: 2,360member

    MplsP said:
    Exactly. What’s the difference between stalking someone with an AirTag and tracking a lost item? Functionally nothing, it’s a matter of intent and who happens to own the device the AirTag is attached to. 

    From a PR perspective, The negative PR Apple will get from a stalking case far and away outweighs any positive PR they may get from someone recovering a stolen bag. 
    Another Exactly to Fred1's post and all in agreement. I knew they really couldn't be used as a Lojack type device when I got them, but liked the idea.

    The only silver lining is they'll still work for property recovery is a few situations where the AirTag can be well hidden well enough that the thief can't find it in a reasonable time. He will still know he's being tracked so the element of surprise is lost, but it might encourage the stolen item being abandoned and recovered. Maybe.

    PR notwithstanding, I do see the need for the anti-stalker positioning. Preventing one person injured or killed by a violent stalker far outweighs the advantage of being able to recover stolen property. 

    fastasleep said:
    dope_ahmine said:
    The product developers at Apple need to screw their brains in and become innovative again. There is a beautiful solution that fulfills both these use cases, but obviously Apple hasn’t found it yet. Can you see it?
    Great armchair product designer vaguepost. 
    Yeah but how can he show faux superiority if he has to actually show a specific solution and make it beautiful? We're not talking just any patchwork kludge, but a beautiful solution. I never trust anybody who uses that adjective in such a context. That's legend in your own mind material.
    williamlondonspock1234fastasleepDAalseth
  • Reply 11 of 24
    lkrupplkrupp Posts: 10,557member
    d-rey said:
    Yeah, but now when a criminal steals something with an AirTag hidden in it, Apple has created a way for them to quickly find & disable it.  I guess they’re really only good for something you accidentally lose.  Any notion of theft-deterrent or recovery is killed by this feature.  
    Well, here’s where doing some reading can help. Apple has NEVER advertised AirTags be used for theft detergent or tracking people. In fact Apple specifically says that AirTags should not be used for those purposes. So it was never a feature to begin with.
  • Reply 12 of 24
    d-reyd-rey Posts: 10member
    lkrupp said:
    d-rey said:
    Yeah, but now when a criminal steals something with an AirTag hidden in it, Apple has created a way for them to quickly find & disable it.  I guess they’re really only good for something you accidentally lose.  Any notion of theft-deterrent or recovery is killed by this feature.  
    Well, here’s where doing some reading can help. Apple has NEVER advertised AirTags be used for theft detergent or tracking people. In fact Apple specifically says that AirTags should not be used for those purposes. So it was never a feature to begin with.
    You’re right.  I knew that was Apple’s official position.  I figured, though, it was mostly due to a combination of liability avoidance and the fact that they don’t send a continuous signal, but they still could be used ‘off-label’ as a better than nothing solution.  With this update, though, they’ve really put a nail in that.  Fundamentally, I agree that protecting people from unwanted tracking is more important that recovering stolen property.  
  • Reply 13 of 24
    hogmanhogman Posts: 19member
    d-rey said:
    Yeah, but now when a criminal steals something with an AirTag hidden in it, Apple has created a way for them to quickly find & disable it.  I guess they’re really only good for something you accidentally lose.  Any notion of theft-deterrent or recovery is killed by this feature.  
    I would argue even worse. Now a thief can search for AirTags and know if something potentially valuable is around.
    MacsWithPenguinsfred1williamlondon
  • Reply 14 of 24
    MacsWithPenguinsMacsWithPenguins Posts: 82member
    Now that Airtags lost a big important group of customers, I’m sure competing products will happily pop up to offer the same feature.
    williamlondon
  • Reply 15 of 24
    michelb76michelb76 Posts: 620member
    d-rey said:
    Yeah, but now when a criminal steals something with an AirTag hidden in it, Apple has created a way for them to quickly find & disable it.  I guess they’re really only good for something you accidentally lose.  Any notion of theft-deterrent or recovery is killed by this feature.  
    Well, hidden in-frame GPS trackers are crudely cut out of stolen bikes here so I think they wouldn't have had any problems with AirTags anyway.
  • Reply 16 of 24
    fastasleepfastasleep Posts: 6,417member
    hogman said:
    d-rey said:
    Yeah, but now when a criminal steals something with an AirTag hidden in it, Apple has created a way for them to quickly find & disable it.  I guess they’re really only good for something you accidentally lose.  Any notion of theft-deterrent or recovery is killed by this feature.  
    I would argue even worse. Now a thief can search for AirTags and know if something potentially valuable is around.
    The ability to know something is nearby does not give you details as to where it is. You can't locate an AirTag like the owner can.
    williamlondon
  • Reply 17 of 24
    GeorgeBMacGeorgeBMac Posts: 11,421member
    When I tried to update I immediately got a message that the update failed.  It then returned me to the original screen -- but without a button to download & install the update.

    I have an Xr and its 12/14/21 at 9:30am EST.

    Update:  at 10:18 I got a notification "Update is read to install" and it's installing now.
    edited December 2021
  • Reply 18 of 24
    GeorgeBMacGeorgeBMac Posts: 11,421member
    d-rey said:
    Yeah, but now when a criminal steals something with an AirTag hidden in it, Apple has created a way for them to quickly find & disable it.  I guess they’re really only good for something you accidentally lose.  Any notion of theft-deterrent or recovery is killed by this feature.  

    Perhaps.  Here's the flip side of that:
    Say you hide the AirTag well enough in your car (like in the AirCleaner of a car or the downtube of bicycle) so that the criminal knows he's being tracked but can't find the tracker.  Most likely the thief is going to abandon the vehicle -- which you could then easily recover.

    You could even put a note on the dash for him:   "Thief!  You are being tracked!  Your time is ending soon".  Perhaps Apple could even supply stickers (like the old Apple Logo) that say it more expressively.
    Or, getting really fancy:   Apple could even let you send him a message on his iPhone:  "Thief!  I know who you are and where you are.  We are coming for you! - Igor & friends!"
    edited December 2021
  • Reply 19 of 24
    DAalsethDAalseth Posts: 2,783member
    I updated everything even though little of it is of interest. Don’t use AirTags, don’t have kids, snd have no interest in Apple Music, voice or otherwise. Mostly did it because it bugs me to have the Update Available flag sitting there. And for any security patches. 
    williamlondon
  • Reply 20 of 24
    fastasleepfastasleep Posts: 6,417member
    DAalseth said:
    I updated everything even though little of it is of interest. Don’t use AirTags, don’t have kids, snd have no interest in Apple Music, voice or otherwise. Mostly did it because it bugs me to have the Update Available flag sitting there. And for any security patches. 
    Riveting story. Even if the tentpole feature updates aren't interesting to you, you're ignoring bug fixes which are always welcome, and you're tossing out security patches as if it's a minor thing. iOS 15.2 is loaded with more than three dozen security updates, including a few critical bugs to FaceTime, Kernel, and Password Manager:
    https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT212976
    williamlondon
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