A number of users have spotted the latest of Apple’s updates. This slate of updates is iOS 15.6, iPadOS 15.6, macOS 12.5, watchOS 8.7, and tvOS 15.6. Given that the next versions of Apple OS are likely to be announced in a few months, it is safe to say that the beta versions have already rolled into testing. According to Apple’s release notes, here is a list of what’s new:
- iOS and iPad OS 15.6 adds the ability to pause, rewind, restart, and fast forward a live sports game in the TV app and fixes a few bugs in Settings, Mail, and Safari
- macOS 12.5 also gets the update to the TV app and a bug fix for Safari
- watchOS 8.7 “includes improvements, bug fixes, and important security updates”
- tvOS 15.6 “includes general performance and stability improvements”
The updates also showcase a list of security updates, some of which relatively patches a number of problems. While Apple is yet to mention any of the issues that have been actively exploited as it has in the past, it’s probably still a good idea to opt for a device update as soon as the new ones are rolled out.
According to The Verge, the elephant in the room for these releases is a familiar one: as with any updates that come out after WWDC, it’s very possible they could be the last releases before the next version. While we could see a few more minor updates just to fix bugs, I’d be very surprised if we see new point releases like iOS 15.7 or macOS 12.6. For iPhone 6S, 7, or first-gen SE it might be shocking to realise that this could probably be the last updates ever received for that device — Apple wouldn’t be supporting them on iOS 16.
The new iOS or iPadOS 15.6 can be downloaded by going to Settings > General > Software Update. While macOS 12.5 could be downloaded by first going to the Apple Menu > System Preferences > Software Update. Although Apple TV and Watch are devices that will likely automatically update themselves if it doesn’t, you can manually update by following Apple’s instructions, which you can here tvOS and here watchOS. It’s possible these updates are not yet available to everyone, so just in case you don’t see them, you can check back.