Apple recently released iOS 13 which was followed by a number of subsequent updates. The last one was 13.2 which is the most stable version yet. It also brought a number of features with it, much to my surprise. If you haven’t updated yet, I would recommend you to do so immediately. I have been using it for a few days now and there are no irregularities. Everything is working as it should. Now, let’s look at new iOS 13.2 features are and how to use them. Let’s begin.
Also Read: How to Install Custom Fonts on iOS 13 and iPadOS 13
iOS 13.2 Features
1. Delete App Option
Apple removed the delete option that used to pop-up when you press and hold an app icon. That was replaced by a menu with smart options in iOS 13. That made things frustrating and more time-consuming because now, you had to press and hold the app icon even longer to reach the uninstall option.
iOS 13.2 fixes it by incorporating the uninstall option in the menu itself. Try it yourself.
2. New Emojis
While there are plenty of emojis available on iMessage and other apps inside the Apple ecosystem, one of the iOS 13.2 features brought even more with it. Well, you can’t really have enough of them, can you? More is always welcome.
New in iOS 13.2: 🧑🦱 Person: Curly Hair https://t.co/LYPNadW3nK pic.twitter.com/HMQXtZMwM0
— Emojipedia 📙 (@Emojipedia) October 30, 2019
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Can you spot the ones that are new or were not available before? There are also more skin tones available for many popular emojis.
3. Edit Home Screen
If you are missing the Rearrange Apps option, you are not alone. The dev team working at Apple has decided to rename it to Edit Home Screen. Same thing, different name. Weird. Don’t tell me it’s not a feature, I know!
Also Read: iOS 13 Privacy and Security Settings: All You Need to Know
4. Apple Music History
This was long due and a welcome move. You can now see a list of all the songs that you recently played in Apple Music in a new section called History. No longer will you have to go searching for that song you were listening to a few days back. I tend to forget names easily and struggle even searching for it. No more.
Open the song you are playing right that is minimized to the bottom otherwise. Tap on the three-dash menu and scroll upwards to reveal History. It’s not at the most convenient location but at least, it’s there.
4. Siri Changes
If you are the proud owner of an AirPods pair, you can now listen to your messages without having to touch your iPhone. Just connect your AirPods and enable the feature from the Control Center.
You will have to enable the option first in Settings > Siri & Search > Announce Messages. Toggle Announce Messages with Siri in there and enable the Messages option. You can then control it from the Control Center. When enabled, Siri will read out all the messages in its entirety with name of the sender.
Another welcome iOS 13.2 feature was the ability to disable or enable option to share Siri recordings with Apple team. Apple received a lot of flak when it was revealed that the staff could listen to users’ Siri commands. Fortunately, it is disabled by default and you can view it at Settings > Privacy > Analytics & Improvements > Improve Siri & Dictation.
You can now delete Siri dictation history as well if you are worried that engineers at Apple campus may overhear your conversations. You can delete them from Settings > Siri & Search > Siri & Dictation History.
5. Deep Fusion
The camera on the back of the latest iPhone 11 series comes with a nifty feature called Deep Fusion. What this can do is, well, difficult to explain. The Verge has done a great guide on what happens even before you hit the shutter. Go through it.
6. Camera Settings
This is such a welcome change and a testament to the changing design philosophy at Apple. Earlier versions of Apple featured camera settings inside the Settings app. Most users were frustrated by this because ideally, you should be able to access camera settings at the time of using the app, preferably from within the UI.
Change camera settings in camera app with a simpe tap?
Oh @apple, now you’re just showing off!
(iOS 13.2 beta 2) pic.twitter.com/Efp3hGN16u
— Faruk 🚀 ᴵᴾᴴᴼᴺᴱᴰᴼ (@iPhonedo) October 10, 2019
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
List of iOS 13.2 features include a UI change where you can now manage frame rates and resolution of the video right from the camera app home screen. It’s sad that there are still many options left out but its a welcome addition. Maybe, future updates will bring more changes. On the flip side, these changes are available on the iPhone 11 series only. Damn.
7. Research
Apple is preparing to launch a new app called Research. The purpose of that app will be to collect data from Apple Watch users and send them back to Apple headquarters for further research. Of course, Apple has assured about the privacy and security of this data.
The launch of the app is imminent as can be seen from the Research tab that was released with iOS 13.2. You can find it under the Privacy menu in Settings.
8. Manage Photos from iMessage
There was a time when you could manage and delete photos from iMessage directly. That was removed by Apple in favor of the Photos app. That made the whole process cumbersome because now, you had to open the Photos app to delete these photos.
iOS 13.2 brings back that old feature from the dead. Rejoice! Just tap on the contact name and tap on the ‘i’ icon.
iOS 13.2 Features
There were a number of subtle changes under the hood but most of them are not note-worthy, in our opinion. There were also a number of bugs fixes that also happened in the background. These features that we discussed above will help you manage your device, and the life that it affects, better. Did you noticed anything worthwhile? Let us know in the comments section below.
