Apple has just released a new iOS update. After seven, yes, seven betas of the new version, this is the 12.4 release we’ve been expecting for weeks. Well, it’s here now. Before launch,the most interesting thing about it was that it was thought it would be the last iOS 12 update. After all, it’s probably less than two months until the full release of iOS 13 which is in public beta now.
However, one of the most anticipated elements of iOS 12.4 was the inclusion of Apple Card, the hotly awaited new credit card from Apple. That doesn’t appear to be in the new release, so there may be another iOS 12 update coming or another way to deploy the Card. If the latter, then, yes, this might well be the very last time you have to set aside an hour or so to update your iPhone until the new iOS, version 13, arrives in the fall.
How big is it?
Here’s what the update contains – and what it doesn’t.
Well, there’s more than we expected. The update, weighing in at a little under 400MB, is substantial, so give it a moment or two to download. In my case, download and installation took around 20 minutes.
Apple Card
This is the expected feature that’s missing in action. It’s a big one but – you know what? – I think Apple has thought of that. My guess is that the guts of the software has been updated to make Apple Card work, it'll just take someone in Cupertino to press a button and presto-changeo, it’ll be live. I may be wrong, but I’m still hopeful that the highly desirable Apple Card will be available within weeks maybe days! Anyway, on to what’s included…
iPhone migration
No, don’t worry, your device isn’t planning to fly south for winter. It’s not that sort of migration. It’s about transferring data from an old iPhone to a new one. Something similar already exists, so this is a smoothing of the process, it seems.
Apple News
Downloaded issues are now available in the My Magazines section on- and offline. News+ subscribers, currently U.S. only, will find all publications are at the top of the News+ feed. And the facility to clear downloaded issues has been added.
Apple Watch
Thanks to a simultaneous update to Watch software, the Walkie-Talkie feature on Apple Watch, recently disabled for security reasons, has now been restored.
HomePod
This is a region-specific update, making support for HomePod available in Japan and in Taiwan.
How to get it
To download the update, open the Settings app, tap General, then Software Update. Note that it can take a little while sometimes for all eligible devices to be ready to download it. It’s a reasonably small update, so it shouldn't take long to download and install.