Apple iOS 15.2 Release: Should You Upgrade?

Apple 15.2 has arrived and it has a big job on its hands. Little has improved for iPhone owners with the iOS 15.1 and iOS 15.1.1 releases following the dumpster fire iOS 15 launch. Are things finally looking up? Possibly. Here’s everything you need to know.

Tip: bookmark this page because I will keep it up to date if/when new problems are found. I will deliver my final verdict in a week.

Who Is It For?

Apple iOS 15.2 is available for all iOS 14-compatible devices, aka the iPhone 6S and newer. You should be automatically notified to upgrade but, if not, the update can be triggered manually by navigating to Settings > General > Software Update. If you are running a newer iOS 15 beta (see ‘The Road Ahead’ section at the end), you must unenroll your iPhone first before iOS 15.2 will show up.

Note: this guide is not focused on older iOS updates or iPadOS, but I will touch upon pertinent issues in these guides. 

The Deal Breakers

Jailbreakers continue to be locked in stasis. Unc0ver and checkra1n have not yet cracked the later iOS 14 releases, let alone iOS 15. So if you want your iPhone to remain jailbroken, you will have to stay where you are. iPhone 13 owners, having launched with iOS 15, have yet to benefit from a supported jailbreak.

For everyone else, 24 hours after release early user reports are promising. Yes, users are complaining about existing bugs not being fixed like the interminable Storage Full bug, hotspot issues, (now typical) Apple Music glitches and isolated problems with the new Legacy Contacts feature (more below). There have been no show stoppers yet, though based on the short history of iOS 15 to date, I stress yet.

So What Do You Get?

iOS 15.2 is the most feature packed Apple release since iOS 15. Here are Apple’s official release notes:

“iOS 15.2 adds Apple Music Voice Plan, a new subscription tier that provides access to music using Siri. This update also includes the App Privacy Report, new safety features for children and parents in Messages, and other features and bug fixes for your iPhone.”

Apple Music Voice Plan

• Apple Music Voice Plan is a new subscription tier that gives you access to all songs, playlists, and stations in Apple Music using Siri
• Just Ask Siri suggests music based on your listening history and likes or dislikes
• Play it Again lets you access a list of your recently played music

Privacy

• App Privacy Report in Settings lets you see how often apps have accessed your location, photos, camera, microphone, contacts and more during the last seven days, as well as their network activity

Messages

• Communication safety setting gives parents the ability to enable warnings for children when they receive or send photos that contain nudity
• Safety warnings contain helpful resources for children when they receive photos that contain nudity

Siri and Search

• Expanded guidance in Siri, Spotlight and Safari Search to help children and parents stay safe online and get help with unsafe situations

Apple ID

• Digital Legacy allows you to designate people as Legacy Contacts so they can access your iCloud account and personal information in the event of your death

Camera

• Macro photo control for switching to the Ultra Wide lens to capture macro photos and videos can be enabled in Settings on iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max

TV app

• Store tab lets you browse, buy, and rent movies and TV Shows all in one place

CarPlay

• Enhanced city map in Apple Maps with road details like turn lanes, medians, bike lanes, and pedestrian crosswalks for supported cities

This release also includes the following enhancements for your iPhone:

• Hide My Email is available in the Mail app for iCloud+ subscribers to create unique, random email addresses
• Find My can locate iPhone for up to five hours when in Power Reserve
• Stocks allows you to view the currency for a ticker and see year-to-date performance when viewing charts
• Reminders and Notes now allow you to delete or rename tags

This release also includes bug fixes for your iPhone:

• Siri may not respond while VoiceOver is running and iPhone is locked
• ProRAW photos may appear overexposed when viewing in third-party photo editing apps
• HomeKit scenes that include a garage door may not run from CarPlay when your iPhone is locked
• CarPlay may not update Now Playing information for certain apps
• Video streaming apps may not load content on iPhone 13 models
• Calendar events may appear on the wrong day for Microsoft Exchange users

Strangely, the highlight in iOS 15.2 is not listed. Navigate to Settings > General > About and you will find a ‘Parts And Service History’ for your device. This brings much needed transparency for buyers of second hand iPhones as it will flag any replaced parts and label them ‘Genuine Apple Part’ or ‘Unknown Part’.

The flipside to this, is historically genuine parts have on occasion still been flagged if they were not installed by an approved Apple repairer. It remains to be seen if this will happen again following Apple’s expansion of its repair program, but the change is likely to push more iPhone owners to Apple for fear that any ‘Unknown Part’ will affect second hand sales prices.

Elsewhere, App Privacy controls will further reduce third-party tracking while the company continues to introduce elements of its child safety program despite its controversial CSAM image scanning software being delayed for now.

Interestingly, Apple has also revealed a number of fixes in iOS 15.2 though by far the biggest is conspicuous by its absence. That said, Apple regularly omits bug fixes in iOS release notes (you may draw your own conclusions about this) and there are isolated cases that suggest the Bluetooth car connectivity problems seen in iOS 15.1 and iOS 15.1.1 might have been quietly patched.

As for security, Apple’s official security page reveals that iOS 15.2 has no less than 42 security fixes. These cover the widest range of security vulnerabilities I can remember in a point release, with flaws found in audio, FaceTime, Password Manager, Preferences and seven alone in Webkit — the browser engine used by Safari. Apple doesn’t explicitly state any of these are zero-day hacks but the sheer number makes iOS 15.2 an important update.

Apple iOS 15.2 Verdict: Running iOS 15? Upgrade; Running iOS 14? Hold

iOS 15.2 is a big release full of new features, fixes and security upgrades. Unless any major gremlins appear in the coming days (I will keep this guide updated), this looks like the most promising iOS 15 release so far and a no-brainer — especially due to the security patches.

Those still on iOS 14 continue to receive security updates so you do not need to rush to upgrade if you are still understandably hesitant about moving to iOS 15. But (whisper it) this could be the one.

Note: bookmark this guide, I will continue to update it with any relevant flaws or features I find and you will receive my final verdict here in one week. 

The Road Ahead 

At the time of publication, Apple has yet to release the next iOS 15 beta version. I would expect iOS 15.2.1 to arrive without public beta testing (there are still plenty of bugs in iOS 15 to fix) with iOS 15.3 being released to developers soon before 6-8 weeks of public tests. Watch this space.

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