iOS 18.5 brings bug fixes and small improvements
Better parental controls and extended support for iPhone satellite services: iOS 18.5 can be downloaded. There are also updates for iPads, Macs and watches.
(Image: Mac & i)
Apple has released the next major point update for its operating systems. Since Monday evening, iOS 18.5, iPadOS 18.5, macOS 15.5 Sequoia, watchOS 11.5, tvOS 18.5 and visionOS 2.5 have been available for download on the respective devices. The new versions focus on bug fixes, including the elimination of security vulnerabilities.
Screen time reveals code input
There are also smaller functional innovations, including a tangible improvement to the "Screen Time" parental control: parents should now receive a notification as soon as the screen time code is entered on their children's devices. This will presumably only work if all devices involved are up-to-date with the latest software. It is the first major expansion of the Screen Time function, which otherwise seems to have been largely forgotten by Apple – and is considered easy to circumvent. If the new warning works reliably, it will close one of the loopholes that children have been using to circumvent the lock.
Another new feature is a Pride Harmony wallpaper and the corresponding watch face for the Apple Watch, as well as a directly integrated option to deactivate the new sender images in Apple Mail on iPhones and iPads. The iPhone should also make it easier to buy content in the Apple TV app on devices from other manufacturers, for example on a Smart TV.
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Support for satellite services on the iPhone 13
Apple also supports satellite connections on the iPhone 13 series for the first time, on all models. However, only satellite services from other providers can be used – if available – and not from Apple's partner Globalstar. The satellite emergency call function integrated into the Messages app therefore remains limited to the iPhone 14 and newer models.
The manufacturer is also delivering patches for macOS 14 and macOS 13 with versions 14.7.6 and 13.7.6. Apple is expected to provide details on the eliminated vulnerabilities later this evening. A new software version for HomePods is also being released at the same time.
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