After a beta testing phase that lasted about a month and a half, Apple has publicly released iOS 15.3 and iPadOS 15.3, macOS 12.2, watchOS 8.4, tvOS 13.3 and Homepod 15.3. Apple also released macOS 11.6.3 for those who still have macOS Big Sur. These versions arrive a week after the release of the Release Candidates.
HOW TO INSTALL THEM
As usual, all updates can be downloaded in OTA mode, directly from the appropriate menus in the settings. For installation on iPhone and iPad, it is necessary to have at least 20% of residual charge or better still to keep the device connected to the mains during the update. It is also possible to update under the 5G network if the functionality has been activated in the settings.
For watchOS, the app on the connected iPhone must be used and Apple Watch must have at least 50% autonomy and be within range of the iPhone‌ it is associated with.
THE NEWS
These new versions of the operating systems for iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Apple TV and Mac are mostly focused on performance improvements and bug fixes. On iOS 15.3 one of the most important changes concerns a fix for a Safari vulnerability that may have leaked the browsing history and Google ID data on the websites visited by the user.
The bug was first discovered by FingerprintJS, which detailed how websites could use an exploit found in IndexedDB (a Javascript API used to store data) to access URLs recently visited by a user and even obtain the user’s Google ID and related personal data. This vulnerability has now been fixed in both iOS 15.3 and iPadOS 15.3. On HomePod 15.3 comes the recognition of the user’s voice also in Italian.
To date, there are still some features announced at the 2021 WWDC that Apple has yet to implement. These include Universal Control and document support in the Wallet app (in the US). Universal Control, remember, will allow you to control multiple Macs and iPads using the same keyboard and mouse. This feature is not expected to arrive until next spring and there would be no trace in these betas.
With iOS 15.2, remember, support has arrived for Apple Music Voice Plan, a new type of subscription that provides access to music via Siri, the App Privacy Report, new safety features for children and parents in Messages as well to other functions and various bug fixes.