iOS 18.2.1: Apple publishes mini update with "important bug fixes"
Apple published an update to its iPhone operating system on Tuesday night. Details are still scarce.
iOS 18 overview: The first version was released in September
(Image: Apple)
A small update at the start of the year: users of current iPhones running iOS 18 have been able to download version 18.2.1 for a few hours now. On an iPhone 15 Pro with iOS 18.2, the update package was only just under 330 MB in size. Apple only writes in the package insert that the update provides “important bug fixes” and is “recommended for all users”.
Zero information, but apparently not security-relevant
These do not appear to be security-related bug fixes. Apple's official Security Updates website explicitly states that iOS 18.2.1 does not contain any “published CVE entries”, i.e., no published bug fixes as part of the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures database, which records security vulnerabilities in a standardized way. The update can be used from the iPhone XS and later, which was launched on the market in September 2018.
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In addition to the iPhone version, an iPadOS update has also been released, which bears the version number 18.2.1. Apple is not providing any further details on this update either, and is not publishing any information on security vulnerabilities. The update runs on the 13-inch iPad Pro, the 12.9-inch iPad Pro of the third generation or newer, the iPad Pro 11 of the first generation or newer, the iPad Air 3 or newer, the iPad 7 or newer and the iPad Mini from the 5th generation onwards.
No update for other operating systems
Interestingly, Apple is only taking care of iPhones and iPads with the first update of the year. There is no new operating system for all other devices – be it Mac, Apple Watch, Apple TV, HomePod, or Vision Pro –. Accordingly, the bug fixes only seem to apply to smartphones and tablets. It remains frustrating that Apple does not provide any information on the content; users have to install at random. Anyone waiting for bug fixes that may be addressed with the update will remain uninformed.
In addition to bug fixes, Apple is also planning improvements to Apple Intelligence (including Genmojis on the Mac), although the “new Siri” will probably not be available before iOS 18.4 or macOS 15.4. A German version of Apple Intelligence will also likely not be available until this update.
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