Big update day at Apple. Besides iOS 14. 2 and iPadOS 14. 2 the group has now also made updates for watchOS, macOS, tvOS and HomePod OS available for download. In some cases errors and security gaps are fixed, in some cases new functions are activated that were announced but not yet implemented.

Safe hearing with the watch watchOS 7.1 activates a new hearing protection function. The computer clock monitors the volume of paired earphones or headphones and warns of excessively high values. The ECG function from Apple Watch Series 4 and heart rhythm monitoring is now also activated for South Korea and Russia. Two bugs have also been fixed: For example, the watch would sometimes not unlock the Mac, and the Series 6 would sometimes fail to activate the screen when you raised your wrist. Furthermore, security gaps in 18 areas are fixed, including kernel bugs and remotely exploitable holes.

Multimedia and communication tvOS 14. 2 is also available. It is unclear what has improved here. The operating system intended for Apple TV HD and Apple TV 4K comes once again without an instruction leaflet. Security gaps in 15 areas are fixed. HomePod OS 14. 2 adds some features. This includes the internal communication function Intercom for the house and the family, a Siri update function in which the voice assistant mentions the personal daily routine including weather and traffic conditions and the connection of the HomePod to Apple TV 4K devices, which then stereo and Surround sound and even Dolby Atmos should be able to reproduce. HomePod OS 14. 2 does not seem to fix security holes, at least Apple has not yet provided any information.

Additional update for macOS Catalina and other updates Apple has also provided the Mac with an update. However, it is only a security update. It is called macOS Catalina 10. 15 .7 Supplemental Update and is only intended for Macs on which the latest Catalina version is already playing. A total of three security-relevant errors are fixed here – two in the kernel and one in the FontParser. One of the kernel bugs allows code execution with kernel privileges. According to Apple, the FontParser bug is already being exploited by an exploit that is “in the wild”, as Apple writes in its notes. The exploit can be found in manipulated font files. Further security updates are missing for earlier macOS versions. However, it is unclear whether this means that the three errors do not exist here – sometimes Apple does not immediately publish updates for older operating system variants, which security experts regularly criticize.

iOS 12. 4.9, watchOS 5.3.9 and watchOS 6.2.9 are available for download. All three updates fix security vulnerabilities for older devices. (bsc)