Apple Releases iOS 16.2 and iPadOS 16.2 With Freeform, Apple Music Sing, Advanced Data Protection and More

Apple today released iOS 16.2, the second major update to the iOS 16 operating system that came out in September. iOS 16.2 comes more than a month after the release of iOS 16.1, an update that added support for Live Activities, Matter, iCloud Shared Photo Library, and more.

The ‌‌iOS 16‌‌.2 update from Apple can be downloaded over the air on eligible iPhones and iPads by going to Settings > General > Software Update. Due to high demand, it may take a few minutes for the updates to roll out to all users. Note that Apple also released iOS 15.7.2 for iPhone users with older devices, with the update bringing security improvements.

Today’s iOS 16.2 and iPadOS 16.2 updates bring several noteworthy features to ‌iOS 16‌ and iPadOS 16, including the Freeform app, a kind of digital whiteboard you can use for anything, while also collaborating with friends and colleagues.

It includes Apple Music karaoke feature called “Sing”, it introduces advanced data protection for end-to-end encryption for more ‌iCloud‌ features and more. On iPad, the update adds support for external displays on M1 and M2 iPads.

Apple’s full release notes for the iOS update are below:

Free form
– Freeform is a new app for creative collaboration with friends or colleagues on Mac, iPad and iPhone
– On a flexible canvas you can add files, images, stickies and more
Drawing tools let you sketch anywhere on the canvas with your finger

Sing Apple Music
– A new way to sing along to millions of your favorite songs in Apple Music
– Fully adjustable vocals let you duet with the original artist, sing solo or mix
– Newly improved beat-by-beat lyrics make it even easier to go along with the music

Advanced data protection for iCloud
– New option expands the total number of iCloud data categories protected with end-to-end encryption to 23 – including iCloud Backup, Notes, and Photos – protecting your information even in the event of a data breach in the cloud

Lock screen
– New settings let you hide backgrounds or notifications when Display is always on enabled on iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max
– The sleep widget allows you to view your most recent sleep data
– The medication widget allows you to view reminders and quickly access your schedule

Game Center
– SharePlay support in Game Center for multiplayer games, so you can play with the people you’re on a FaceTime call with
– Activity widget allows you to see what your friends are playing and achieving in games right from your home screen

AppleTV
– With Live Activities for the Apple TV app, you can follow your favorite teams with live scores right on your lock screen or in Dynamic Island on iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max

House
– Improved reliability and efficiency of communication between your smart home accessories and Apple devices

This update also includes the following improvements and bug fixes:
– Improved search in Messages lets you find photos based on their content, such as a dog, car, person or text
– Disabling the Hide IP Address setting allows iCloud Private Relay users to temporarily disable the service for a specific site in Safari
– News articles in Weather display information relevant to the weather in that location
– Participant cursors in Notes allow you to see live indicators as others make updates in a shared note
– AirDrop now automatically reverts to Contacts Only after 10 minutes to prevent unwanted requests to receive content
– Crash detection optimizations on iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro models
– Fixes an issue that prevented some notes from syncing to iCloud after updates were made

Some features may not be available in all regions or on all Apple devices. For information about the security content of Apple software updates, visit this website:

Apple also has some ‌iPad‌-specific notes:

Stage manager
– Support for external displays with resolutions up to 6K available on iPad Pro 12.9-inch (5th generation and later), iPad Pro 11-inch (3rd generation and later), and iPad Air (5th generation)
– Drag files and windows from your compatible device to your connected display and vice versa
– Support using up to 4 apps on the iPad display and 4 on the external display

iPad-specific features and fixes
– Tracking notifications alert you if an AirTag separated from its owner is nearby and has recently played a chime to indicate it’s moving
– Resolves an issue that may cause Multi-Touch gestures to become unresponsive while using accessibility zoom

Following the launch of iOS 16.2 and iPadOS 16.2, Apple may soon be releasing the first betas of iOS 16.3 and iPadOS 16.3, giving us a glimpse at new features to expect in the new year.