iPhone 12 —

Apple pushes out iOS 14.1, iMovie updates, and more

The various updates lay the groundwork for iPhone 12's launch tomorrow.

Promotional image of smartphones against a white background.
Enlarge / The various color options of the iPhone 12.

This week, Apple has released a number of software updates to pave the way for tomorrow's iPhone 12 launch. Among them: iOS and iPadOS 14.1, and updates to iMovie and GarageBand for iOS.

iOS 14.1 adds support for the various new iPhone 12-specific features, plus a number of bug fixes. Most of the bug fixes fix UI bugs that shipped with iOS 14 last month. iPadOS 14.1 includes some of the same bug fixes.

Both updates are the second to come since iOS 14, after iOS and iPadOS 14.0.1. The update immediately prior to this one fixed a bug that caused users' default mail and browser apps to reset when a device was turned off or restarted. However, users have since found that their preferences are also being reset when App Store updates occur. iOS 14.1 does not address that issue.

Here are Apple's update notes for iOS 14.1:

iOS 14.1 includes improvements and bug fixes for your ‌iPhone‌.

  • Adds support for 10-bit HDR video playback and edit in ‌Photos‌ for ‌iPhone‌ 8 and later
  • Addresses an issue where some ‌widgets‌, folders, and icons were showing up in reduced size on the Home Screen
  • Addresses an issue where dragging ‌widgets‌ on the ‌Home Screen‌ could remove apps from folders
  • Fixes an issue where some emails in Mail were sent from an incorrect alias
  • Fixes an issue that could prevent incoming calls from displaying region information
  • Fixes an issue on some devices where selecting zoomed display mode and an alphanumeric passcode could result in the Lock Screen emergency call button overlapping with the text input box
  • Addresses an issue where some users were occasionally unable to download or add songs to their library while viewing an album or playlist
  • Fixes an issue that could prevent zeroes from appearing in Calculator
  • Resolves an issue where streaming video resolution could temporarily be reduced at the start of playback
  • Fixes an issue that prevented setting up a family member’s Apple Watch for some users
  • Resolves an issue where the Apple Watch case material was displayed incorrectly in the Apple Watch app
  • Addresses an issue in the Files app that could cause some MDM-managed cloud service providers to incorrectly display content as unavailable
  • Improves compatibility with Ubiquiti wireless access points

Some features may not be available for all regions or on all Apple devices. For information on the security content of Apple software updates, please visit this website: https://support.apple.com/kb/HT201222


And for iPadOS 14.1, which has a subset of the changes above:

iPadOS 14.1 includes improvements and bug fixes for your iPad.

  • Adds support for 10-bit HDR video playback and edit in Photos for iPad Pro 12.9‑inch (2nd generation) and later, iPad Pro 11‑inch, iPad Pro 10.5-inch, iPad Air (3rd generation) and later, and iPad mini (5th generation)
  • Addresses an issue where some widgets, folders, and icons were showing up in reduced size on the Home Screen
  • Fixes an issue where some emails in Mail were sent from an incorrect alias
  • Addresses an issue where some users were occasionally unable to download or add songs to their library while viewing an album or playlist
  • Resolves an issue where streaming video resolution could temporarily be reduced at the start of playback
  • Addresses an issue in the Files app that could cause some MDM-managed cloud service providers to incorrectly display content as unavailable

Some features may not be available for all regions or on all Apple devices. For information on the security content of Apple software updates, please visit this website: https://support.apple.com/kb/HT201222

As noted above, Apple also updated iMovie and GarageBand. These updates add new features and fix bugs and are available from the App Store provided you're running iOS 14 or later.

Channel Ars Technica