Apple’s latest list of updates: iOS and iPadOS 15.6, macOS 12.5, watchOS 8.7 and tvOS 15.6, are starting to appear for some users. Since the next versions of operating systems are likely to come out in a few months (and beta testers are already using them), it’s no surprise that Wednesday’s updates are relatively light in features. According to the release notes, here are the news:
-
iOS and iPad OS 15.6 adds the ability to pause, rewind, restart, and quickly advance a live sports game in the TV app and fix some bugs in Settings, Mail, and Safari
-
macOS 12.5 also gets the TV app update and a bug fix for Safari
-
watchOS 8.7 “includes important enhancements, bug fixes, and security updates”
-
tvOS 15.6 “includes overall performance and stability improvements”
The updates also include a list of security updates, some of which fix relatively scary issues. While Apple doesn’t mention that any of the issues have been actively exploited like it did in the past, it’s probably still a good idea to update all of your devices as soon as you can.
iOS 15.6 could be the beginning of the end of this version of the operating system
The elephant in the room of these releases is familiar: as with any update that comes out after WWDC, it’s very possible that they may be the last releases before the next version. While we might see a few more minor updates just to fix bugs, I would be very surprised if we saw new one-time releases like iOS 15.7 or macOS 12.6. For people who are still using a first-generation iPhone 6S, 7, or SE, this could be one of the latest updates you receive for this device: Apple doesn’t support iOS 16.
You can download iOS or iPadOS 15.6 by going to Settings> General> Software Update.
You can download macOS 12.5 by going to the Apple menu> System Preferences> Software Update.
Your Apple TV and Watch are likely to update automatically. If not, you can manually update by following Apple’s instructions, which you can find here for tvOS and here for watchOS.
Updates may take some time to become available to everyone, so if you don’t see them, just check them back on the screen in an hour or two.