iOS 12 updates

[newlyretired]

Is Apple still providing security updates for iOS 12?

They released iOS 12.5.4 in June - is there any indication that this is (or isn't) the final update for iOS 12?

newlyretired

[Breelander]

Is Apple still providing security updates for iOS 12?

They released iOS 12.5.4 in June - is there any indication that this is (or isn't) the final update for iOS 12?

newlyretired

According to this table, all versions prior to iOS 12 are Discontinued, iOS 12 is marked as 'Old, still maintained'. I would not expect 12 to be discontinued until 15 gets out of Beta testing.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IOS_versi ... on_history

[newlyretired]

Is Apple still providing security updates for iOS 12?

They released iOS 12.5.4 in June - is there any indication that this is (or isn't) the final update for iOS 12?

newlyretired

According to this table, all versions prior to iOS 12 are Discontinued, iOS 12 is marked as 'Old, still maintained'. I would not expect 12 to be discontinued until 15 gets out of Beta testing.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IOS_versi ... on_history

Thanks Breelander, that was helpful...

...but suddenly iOS 12.5.4 has switched from "Old, still maintained" to "Discontinued". I'm not sure what has changed, iOS 15 is still Beta, perhaps Apple has decided they won't bother to fix the new vulnerabilities here.

And other than the Wikipedia page which you have quoted, I can't find the source for the change from "Old, still maintained" to "Discontinued".

newlyretired

[Julian]

Is Apple still providing security updates for iOS 12?

They released iOS 12.5.4 in June - is there any indication that this is (or isn't) the final update for iOS 12?

newlyretired

According to this table, all versions prior to iOS 12 are Discontinued, iOS 12 is marked as 'Old, still maintained'. I would not expect 12 to be discontinued until 15 gets out of Beta testing.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IOS_versi ... on_history

Thanks Breelander, that was helpful...

...but suddenly iOS 12.5.4 has switched from "Old, still maintained" to "Discontinued". I'm not sure what has changed, iOS 15 is still Beta, perhaps Apple has decided they won't bother to fix the new vulnerabilities here.

And other than the Wikipedia page which you have quoted, I can't find the source for the change from "Old, still maintained" to "Discontinued".

newlyretired

Actually, as of a few hours ago iOS15 is out of beta and rolling out to the general public. UK availability starts from 6:00pm tonight - https://www.macrumors.com/2021/09/19/wh ... c-release/

- Julian

[AF62]

Actually, as of a few hours ago iOS15 is out of beta and rolling out to the general public. UK availability starts from 6:00pm tonight - https://www.macrumors.com/2021/09/19/wh ... c-release/

- Julian

Downloading now - all 2.62GB of it.

[Jonetc15]

Actually, as of a few hours ago iOS15 is out of beta and rolling out to the general public. UK availability starts from 6:00pm tonight - https://www.macrumors.com/2021/09/19/wh ... c-release/

- Julian

Downloading now - all 2.62GB of it.

By pure coincidence I have just read this thread. My iPad, iPhone and MacBook are all set to up date automatically, but never do - same with Windows 10; from which I deduce that the problem's almost certainly me. So I check for updates regularly. I've just read about iOS15.

I'm an incredibly basic user. But even though I don't consciously multi-task, am I right in thinking that if I download this update it won't affect my very basic, minimal IT 'skills' and that it's basically a 'good thing'?

TIA

Jon

[Jonetc15]

Sorry - I think I've just asked a very silly question, to which the blinding obvious is 'Yes'... It's just that I don't understand a word of the explanatory note on my iPad as to the content of the update.

Jon

[Julian]

In general it's a good thing to upgrade because you'll get all the latest security updates and eventually if you never upgrade then whatever version of iOS you are running will stop being supported, assuming you don't upgrade (as in sell) your iPad before that happens of course.

On the iPad I think the only difference you might notice is if you are currently using the "Today view". Here is how to tell if you are ...

1 - Is your home page simply a bunch (a grid) of icons to launch applications? If yes then you are NOT using the today view.

2 - Alternatively, does your home page have a column down the left side of the screen, maybe 20% of the width of the screen with a big digital time display at the top of the column and maybe with some other stuff (called "widgets") below it, and the remaining rightmost 80% of your screen having all your icons in it? If this is how your screen looks then you ARE using the Today view.

This is the only area where maybe you would see a difference on upgrading to iOS 15 (or I should say iPadOS since you have an iPad). Apple for some inexplicable reason removed the Today view in iOS 15 so you would lose the column on the left together with the permanent big display of the time in the upper left of the screen and instead your grid of icons would take up the entire screen. If your grid of icons already uses the entire screen (i.e. 1 above) then you should notice no difference after upgrading to iPadOS 15.

- Julian

[AF62]

I'm an incredibly basic user. But even though I don't consciously multi-task, am I right in thinking that if I download this update it won't affect my very basic, minimal IT 'skills' and that it's basically a 'good thing'?

TIA

Jon

There isn’t a huge amount of change in IOS 15 from 14.

Safari has changed slightly. Some changes to notifications. Theoretically it will tell you if it going to rain (or stop raining) in the next hour.

The biggest change seems to be with ‘Focus’ where you can refine the Do Not Disturb to set up different scenarios to allow some apps or people to display notifications or receive calls/messages from those apps/people, and the scenarios can be triggered by time, location, or other settings.

So theoretically you could set your phone to be focused on work whilst at work, and then to ignore anything related to work whilst at home.

[Julian]

I'm an incredibly basic user. But even though I don't consciously multi-task, am I right in thinking that if I download this update it won't affect my very basic, minimal IT 'skills' and that it's basically a 'good thing'?

TIA

Jon

There isn’t a huge amount of change in IOS 15 from 14.

Safari has changed slightly. Some changes to notifications. Theoretically it will tell you if it going to rain (or stop raining) in the next hour.

The biggest change seems to be with ‘Focus’ where you can refine the Do Not Disturb to set up different scenarios to allow some apps or people to display notifications or receive calls/messages from those apps/people, and the scenarios can be triggered by time, location, or other settings.

So theoretically you could set your phone to be focused on work whilst at work, and then to ignore anything related to work whilst at home.

Good point. I'd forgotten about the changes to how the tab bar and search box in Safari looks. Shows how quickly I adjusted despite some of the "this Safari change has ruined my life forever" levels of outrage on some Apple forums (I exaggerate slightly for effect). I'd classify the Safari changes as largely cosmetic, most noticeably rounded tabs rather than the old square ones, and would hope that Jon would not find adjusting to the new appearance and very, very slightly different layout at the top of the Safari screen to be a huge issue.

On the focus stuff, yes you are right but strictly addressing Jon's question the new focus features can simply be ignored can't they? If you don't go out of your way to discover where they are and set up some focus modes for yourself you (in this case Jon) wouldn't even know that all that new focus stuff was even there. Or at least that is my understanding, someone please correct me if I am wrong.

- Julian

[AF62]

On the focus stuff, yes you are right but strictly addressing Jon's question the new focus features can simply be ignored can't they? If you don't go out of your way to discover where they are and set up some focus modes for yourself you (in this case Jon) wouldn't even know that all that new focus stuff was even there. Or at least that is my understanding, someone please correct me if I am wrong.

- Julian

Yes you could ignore the ‘focus’ changes and might not even notice they were there - the one possibly you might is if you use the ‘hard press’ from the control centre on DND when you would see the new options of DND, Personal, Work, Sleep, Driving and wonder what they are.

However it did seem to be one of the few useful changes in 15 which someone with an iPhone, iPad and Mac might find useful, so I thought I would mention it.

The complaints about the new ‘focus’ mode seem to be that you have to opt people and apps in to allow them to breakthrough the DND, rather than opting people or apps out.

[xeny]

Is Apple still providing security updates for iOS 12?

They released iOS 12.5.4 in June - is there any indication that this is (or isn't) the final update for iOS 12?

newlyretired

Topically, they've just released 12.5.5 to fix a vulnerability that is being actively exploited, but it is unclear when they're going to pull the plug finally.