About iOS 8 Updates

This release includes new features, improvements and bug fixes.

iOS 8.4.1

This release includes improvements and fixes to Apple Music.

  • Resolves issues that could prevent turning on iCloud Music Library

  • Resolves an issue that hides added music because Apple Music was set to show offline music only

  • Provides a way to add songs to a new playlist if there aren’t any playlists to choose from

  • Resolves an issue that may show different artwork for an album on other devices

  • Resolves several issues for artists while posting to Connect

  • Fixes an issue where tapping Love doesn’t work as expected while listening to Beats 1

For information on the security content of this update, please visit this website: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1222

iOS 8.4

This update introduces Apple Music—a revolutionary music service, 24/7 global radio, and a way for fans to connect with their favorite artists—all included in the redesigned Music app. iOS 8.4 also includes improvements for iBooks and bug fixes.

  • Apple Music

    • Become an Apple Music member to play from millions of songs in the Apple Music catalog, or keep them offline for playback later

    • For You: Members can see playlist and album recommendations, handpicked by music experts

    • New: Members can find the latest, greatest new music available—direct from our editors

    • Radio: Tune in to music, interviews, and exclusive radio shows on Beats 1, play radio stations created by our editors or create your own from any artist or song

    • Connect: See shared thoughts, photos, music, and videos from artists you follow, then join the conversation

    • My Music: Play from all of your iTunes purchases, songs from Apple Music, and playlists in one place

    • Completely redesigned music player that includes new features such as Recently Added, MiniPlayer, Up Next, and more

    • iTunes Store: Still the best place to buy your favorite music—one song or album at a time

    • Availability and features may vary by country or region

  • iBooks improvements and fixes

    • Browse, listen and download audiobooks from inside iBooks

    • Enjoy the all-new Now Playing feature, designed specifically for audiobooks

    • Books that are Made for iBooks now work on iPhone in addition to iPad

    • Find and pre-order books in a series right from your library

    • Improves accessibility of widgets, glossary and navigation in books made with iBooks Author

    • New default Chinese font

    • New setting to turn off Auto-Night theme in your library

    • Resolves an issue that may have prevented Hide Purchases from working

    • Resolves an issue that may have prevented downloading books from iCloud

  • Other improvements and bug fixes

    • Fixes an issue where receiving a specific series of Unicode characters causes device to reboot

    • Fixes an issue that prevented GPS accessories from providing location data

    • Fixes an issue where deleted Apple Watch apps could re-install

For information on the security content of this update, please visit this website: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1222

iOS 8.3

This release includes improved performance, bug fixes, and a redesigned Emoji keyboard. Changes include:

  • Improved performance for:

    • App launch

    • App responsiveness

    • Messages

    • Wi-Fi

    • Control Center

    • Safari tabs

    • 3rd-party keyboards

    • Keyboard shortcuts

    • Simplified Chinese keyboard

  • Wi-Fi and Bluetooth fixes

    • Fixes an issue where you could be continuously prompted for login credentials

    • Addresses an issue where some devices disconnect intermittently from Wi-Fi networks

    • Fixes an issue where hands-free phone calls could become disconnected

    • Fixes an issue where audio playback could stop working with some bluetooth speakers

  • Orientation and rotation fixes

    • Addresses an issue that sometimes prevented rotating back to portrait after having rotated to landscape

    • Improves performance and stability issues that occurred when rotating the device between portrait and landscape

    • Fixes an issue where device orientation appeared upside down after pulling the iPhone 6 Plus from your pocket

    • Resolves an issue that sometimes prevented apps from rotating to correct orientation after switching apps in multitasking

  • Messages fixes

    • Address issues that caused group messages to sometimes split

    • Fixes an issue that sometimes removed the ability to forward or delete individual messages

    • Resolves an issue that sometimes prevented a preview from appearing when taking a photo in Messages

    • Adds the ability to report junk messages directly from the Messages app

    • Adds the ability to filter out iMessages that are not sent by your contacts

  • Family Sharing fixes

    • Fixes a bug where certain apps would not launch or update on family members’ devices

    • Fixes a bug that prevented family members from downloading certain free apps

    • Increased reliability for Ask to Buy notifications

  • CarPlay fixes

    • Fixes an issue where Maps could come up as a black screen

    • Fixes an issue where the UI could be incorrectly rotated

    • Fixes an issue where the keyboard could appear on the CarPlay screen when it shouldn't

  • Enterprise fixes

    • Improves reliability of installing and updating enterprise apps

    • Corrects the time zone of Calendar events created in IBM Notes

    • Fixes a problem that could cause web clip icons to become generic after restarting

    • Improves reliability of saving the password for a web proxy

    • Exchange out-of-office message can now be edited separately for external replies

    • Improves recovery of Exchange accounts from temporary connection problems

    • Improves compatibility of VPN and web proxy solutions

    • Allows use of physical keyboards to log into Safari web sheets, such as for joining a public Wi-FI network

    • Fixes an issue that caused Exchange meetings with long notes to be truncated

  • Accessibility fixes

    • Fixes an issue where using the back button in Safari causes VoiceOver gestures to not respond

    • Fixes an issue where VoiceOver focus becomes unreliable in draft Mail messages

    • Fixes an issue where Braille Screen Input cannot be used to type text in forms on webpages

    • Fixes an issue where toggling Quick Nav on a Braille Display announces that Quick Nav is off

    • Fixes issue keeping app icons from being moveable on home screen when VoiceOver is enabled

    • Fixes an issue in Speak Screen where speech will not start again after pausing

  • Other improvements and bug fixes

    • Introduces a redesigned Emoji keyboard with over 300 new characters

    • iCloud Photo Library has been optimized to work with the new Photos app on OS X 10.10.3 and is now out of beta

    • Improves the pronunciation of street names during turn-by-turn navigation in Maps

    • Includes support for Baum VarioUltra 20 and VarioUltra 40 braille displays

    • Improves the display of Spotlight results when Reduce Transparency is turned on

    • Adds Italic and Underline format options for iPhone 6 Plus landscape keyboard

    • Adds the ability to remove shipping and billing addresses used with Apple Pay

    • Additional language and country or region support for Siri: English (India, New Zealand), Danish (Denmark), Dutch (Netherlands), Portuguese (Brazil), Russian (Russia), Swedish (Sweden), Thai (Thailand), Turkish (Türkiye)

    • Additional dictation languages: Arabic (Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates) and Hebrew (Israel)

    • Improves stability for Phone, Mail, Bluetooth connectivity, Photos, Safari tabs, Settings, Weather and Genius Playlists in Music

    • Address an issue where Slide to Unlock could fail to work on certain devices

    • Addresses an issue that sometimes prevented swiping to answer a phone call on the Lock screen

    • Addresses an issue that prevented opening links in Safari PDFs

    • Fixes an issue where selecting Clear History and Website Data in Safari Settings did not clear all data

    • Fixes an issue that prevented autocorrecting "FYI"

    • Addresses an issue where contextual predictions did not appear in Quick Reply

    • Fixes an issue where Maps did not enter night mode from hybrid mode

    • Resolves an issue that prevented initiating FaceTime calls from a browser or 3rd-party app using FaceTime URLs

    • Fixes an issue that sometimes prevented photos from properly exporting to Digital Camera Image folders on Windows

    • Fixes an issue that sometimes prevented an iPad backup from completing with iTunes

    • Fixes an issue that could cause Podcast downloads to stall when switching from Wi-Fi to cellular networks

    • Fixes an issue where remaining time on timer would sometimes incorrectly display as 00:00 on Lock screen

    • Fixes an issue that sometimes prevented adjusting call volume

    • Fixes an issues that caused the status bar to sometimes appear when it shouldn’t

For information on the security content of this update, please visit this website: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1222

iOS 8.2

This release introduces support for Apple Watch, and also includes improvements to the Health app, increased stability and bug fixes.

  • Apple Watch support

    • New Apple Watch app to pair and sync with iPhone, and to customize watch settings

    • New Activity app for viewing fitness data and achievements from Apple Watch; appears when Apple Watch is paired

    • Available on iPhone 5 and later

  • Health app improvements

    • Adds the ability to select the unit of measurement for distance, body temperature, height, weight and blood glucose

    • Improves stability when dealing with large amounts of data

    • Includes the ability to add and visualize workout sessions from 3rd-party apps

    • Addresses an issue that may have prevented users from adding a photo in Medical ID

    • Fixes units for vitamins and minerals

    • Fixes an issue where Health data wouldn’t refresh after changing data source order

    • Fixes an issue where some graphs showed no data values

    • Adds a privacy setting that enables turning off tracking of steps, distance and flights climbed

  • Stability enhancements

    • Increases stability of Mail

    • Improves stability of Flyover in Maps

    • Improves stability of Music

    • Improves VoiceOver reliability

    • Improves connectivity with Made for iPhone Hearing Aids

  • Bug fixes

    • Fixes an issue in Maps that prevented navigating to some favorite locations

    • Addresses an issue where the last word in a quick reply message wasn't autocorrected

    • Fixes an issue where duplicate iTunes purchased content could prevent iCloud restore from completing

    • Resolves an issue where some music or playlists didn’t sync from iTunes to the Music app

    • Fixes an issue where deleted audiobooks sometimes remained on device

    • Resolves an issue that could prevent call audio from routing to car speakers while using Siri Eyes Free

    • Fixes a Bluetooth calling issue where no audio is heard until the call is answered

    • Fixes a timezone issue where Calendar events appear in GMT

    • Addresses an issue that caused certain events in a custom recurring meeting to drop from an Exchange calendar

    • Fixes a certificate error that prevented configuring an Exchange account behind a third-party gateway

    • Fixes an issue that could cause an organizer’s Exchange meeting notes to be overwritten

    • Resolves an issue that prevented some Calendar events from automatically showing as 'Busy' after accepting an invite

For information on the security content of this update, please visit this website: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1222

iOS 8.1.3

This release includes bug fixes, increased stability and performance improvements, including:

  • Reduces the amount of storage required to perform a software update

  • Fixes an issue that prevented some users from entering their Apple ID password for Messages and FaceTime

  • Addresses an issue that caused Spotlight to stop displaying app results

  • Fixes an issue which prevented multitasking gestures from working on iPad

  • Adds new configuration options for education standardized testing

For information on the security content of this update, please visit this website: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1222

iOS 8.1.2

This release includes bug fixes and addresses a problem where ringtones purchased through the iTunes Store may have been removed from your device. To restore these ringtones, visit itunes.com/restore-tones from your iOS device.

For information on the security content of this update, please visit this website: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1222

Available OTA or iTunes

iOS 8.1.1

This release includes bug fixes, increased stability and performance improvements for iPad 2 and iPhone 4s.

For information on the security content of this update, please visit this website: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1222

iOS 8.1

This release includes new features, improvements and bug fixes, including:

  • Apple Pay support for iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus (U.S. only)

  • Photos includes new features, improvements and fixes

    • Adds iCloud Photo Library as a beta service

    • Adds Camera Roll album in Photos app and My Photo Stream album when iCloud Photo Library is not enabled

    • Provides alerts when running low on space before capturing Time Lapse videos

  • Messages includes new features, improvements and fixes

    • Adds the ability for iPhone users to send and receive SMS and MMS text messages from their iPad and Mac

    • Resolves an issue where search would sometimes not display results

    • Fixes a bug that caused read messages to not be marked as read

    • Fixes issues with group messaging

  • Resolves issues with Wi-Fi performance that could occur when connected to some base stations

  • Fixes an issue that could prevent connections to Bluetooth hands-free devices

  • Fixes bugs that could cause screen rotation to stop working

  • Adds an option to select between 2G, 3G or LTE networks for cellular data

  • Fixes an issue in Safari where videos would sometimes not play

  • Adds AirDrop support for Passbook passes

  • Adds an option to enable Dictation in Settings for Keyboards, separate from Siri

  • Enables HealthKit apps to access data in the background

  • Accessibility improvements and fixes

    • Fixes an issue that prevented Guided Access from working properly

    • Fixes a bug where VoiceOver would not work with 3rd party keyboards

    • Improves stability and audio quality when using MFi Hearing Aids with iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus

    • Fixes an issue with VoiceOver where tone dialing would get stuck on a tone until dialing another number

    • Improves reliability when using handwriting, Bluetooth keyboards and Braille displays with VoiceOver

  • Fixes an issue that was preventing the use of OS X Caching Server for iOS updates

Some features may not be available for all countries or all areas.

For information on the security content of this update, please visit this website: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1222

iOS 8

This update contains hundreds of new features, including the following:

  • Messages improvements

    • Tap to Talk to send your voice, a video or a photo with just a swipe

    • Group messaging options to name a conversation, add a contact, remove a contact, or leave a conversation

    • New details view with Do Not Disturb, location sharing and attachments view

  • Photos improvements

    • Smart editing tools to adjust light and color with a swipe

    • Fine-tune controls to adjust exposure, brightness, contrast, highlights, shadows and more

    • Search by date, location, or album name or use smart suggestions

    • Smart albums for Slo-mo videos, Bursts, Panoramas, and Time-lapse

    • Third-party photo filters and editing tools supported directly in Photos

    • Your photos and metadata from iPhoto will be migrated to Photos. Books, Journals and Slideshows will be converted to albums containing only photos.

iPhoto for iOS is not supported on devices running iOS 8 or later.

  • Camera improvements

    • Time-lapse mode

    • Capture timer

    • Adjust exposure with a simple nudge to lighten or darken a photo prior to capture

    • Burst mode on front facing camera on iPhone 5s

    • Panorama for iPad Air and iPad mini with Retina display

  • QuickType keyboard

    • Predictive typing personalized to your writing style, and customized based on the recipient and the app

    • Predictive is available in English (Australia, Canada, UK, US), French (Canada, France, Switzerland), German (Germany, Switzerland), Italian, Portuguese (Brazil), Spanish, Thai

    • Third-party keyboard support

  • Health

    • New Health app with easy-to-read dashboard of health and fitness data

    • Ability to share health data with apps to provide a more comprehensive way to manage your health and fitness

    • Add a Medical ID with information about allergies, medical conditions, and more with the option to make accessible from the lock screen

    • Available on iPhone and iPod touch

  • Family Sharing

    • Share iTunes, iBooks, and App Store purchases with up to six members of your family.

    • Pay for family purchases with a single credit card and approve purchases by children with Ask to Buy

    • Easily share family photos, a family calendar, locations and more

  • iCloud Drive

    • Store all your documents in iCloud and access them from your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac, or PC

    • Share the same file across multiple compatible apps

    • Edits you make on one device update on all your devices automatically

  • Continuity features so your iPhone, iPad, and Mac work together more seamlessly

    • Continue what you’re doing as you move from one device to another

    • Make and receive calls and send and receive SMS or MMS messages on your iPad or Mac

    • Instant Hotspot to automatically use your cellular connection to get online with your other devices

    • AirDrop compatibility with OS X Yosemite

    • Available on iPhone 5 or later, iPad (4th generation), iPad Air, iPad mini, and iPod touch (5th generation)

  • Spotlight improvements

    • Displays suggestions from Wikipedia entries, places nearby, movies (US only), popular web sites, App Store, iTunes Store and iBooks Store

    • Safari also supports Spotlight suggestions alongside Top Hit and search suggestions

    • Supported for local languages in US, UK, Austria, Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland

  • Mail improvements

    • Easily jump between drafts and your inbox with a simple swipe down on the draft

    • Intelligent suggestions for Calendar events and Contacts

    • VIP threads

  • Siri improvements

    • Improvements to responsiveness, reliability and accuracy

    • “Hey, Siri” option to initiate Siri using just your voice when your device is plugged in Streaming voice recognition

    • Works with Shazam to answer “What song is playing?”

    • Purchase content from iTunes Store

  • Safari improvements

    • DuckDuckGo search engine support

    • Private browsing per tab

    • Subscribe to RSS feeds in Shared Links

    • Use Camera to scan and enter credit card info

  • Maps improvements

    • Flyover city tours

    • Maps place cards in Phone and Contacts

    • Inline map view and travel time notifications for Calendar events

  • App Store improvements

    • New Explore tab for easier category browsing

    • Top trending searches displayed in Search tab

    • Scrolling search results

    • App video previews

  • Editors’ Choice badges

  • Quick access to key contacts in multitasking view

  • Interactive Notifications for Messages, Mail, Calendar, Reminders and enabled third-party apps

  • New Tips app to help you do more with your iOS devices

  • iBooks app built into iOS, now with auto night mode and new organization for book series

  • Podcasts app built into iOS

  • Battery usage by app

  • iCloud Keychain can use saved website passwords to easily sign in to associated apps

  • FaceTime Audio call waiting

  • Rich text editing in Notes

  • Peer-to-peer AirPlay discovery and playback

  • Enterprise features

    • Expanded data protection to Calendar, Contacts, Messages, Reminders, and Notes in addition to Mail and 3rd-party apps

    • Per message S/MIME email controls

    • Improved UI to make it easier for users to understand the remote management of their device

    • Automatic reply for Exchange

    • Free/busy lookup for Calendar invitations

  • MDM Managed books can be automatically pushed to users

  • Accessibility features

    • Redesigned Zoom with one-handed control and multiple zoom modes including picture-in-picture

    • Built-in timer and Touch ID support for Guided Access

    • Speak Screen to read out contents of the screen via gesture or Siri command

    • VoiceOver improvements including Alex voice option and Braille input support

    • Multi-device support for MFi hearing aids to seamlessly switch from one paired iOS device to another

  • Features for China mainland

    • Vector-based maps

    • Turn-by-turn navigation

    • Lunar calendar support

    • Improved predictive input

    • Improved weather data

    • Expanded language support

  • Bug fixes

Some features may not be available for all countries or all areas.

For information on the security content of this update, please visit this website: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1222

Available via iTunes or OTA

Published Date: