Updates for Everything Apple
Apple Fixes Battery Drain, Plugs Security Hole with iOS/iPadOS 15.4.1
01 APRIL 2022 - A big day of small updates to end the week - a few with potentially serious security implications. A piece from iDownloadBlog says Apple released iOS 15.4.1 and iPadOS 15.4.1 on Thursday. According to the piece, both “include bug fixes and security updates.” On the bug fixing side, the updates:
Address an issue where the battery might drain too fast after updating to iOS/iPadOS 15.4
Fix an issue where braille devices might quit “while navigating text or displaying an alert”
Tackle a problem where Made for iPhone/iPad hearing devices might disconnect from some third-party apps
As for the potentially serious security thing, Apple says both the iOS update and the iPadOS update “fix an out-of-bounds vulnerability that could let an app run arbitrary code with kernel privileges.” In its security notes, the Cupertino-company says it “is aware of a report that this issue may have been actively exploited.”
The updates are available now through Settings on a target iPhone or iPad.
Apple Releases Bug Squishing, Security Fixing macOS 12.3.1 Update
Moving to the Mac, a piece from MacRumors says Apple on Thursday released macOS Monterey 12.3.1. This one is largely about connectivity - namely maintaining it. Problems addressed include one where “USB-C or Thunderbolt external display does not turn on when connected to Mac mini (2018) as a second display.” It also hits an issue where “Bluetooth devices, such as game controllers, may disconnect from your Mac after playing audio through some Beats headphones.”
Those are annoying, though for important fixes, we turn again to Apple’s security notes. According to Apple, macOS 12.3.1 fixes the same “out-of-bounds vulnerability” addressed in the iOS and iPadOS updates. A similar sounding vulnerability is addressed in Intel Graphics Driver. In both cases, Apple says it’s heard that the vulnerabilities “may have been actively exploited.”
“And the Rest…”
Wanna know exactly what watchOS 8.5.1 and tvOS 15.4.1 do? Too bleepin’ bad. MacRumors says the one for Apple Watch totes security updates and bug fixes, though a check of Apple’s security page says the update “has no published CVE entries.” Similarly, a piece from iMore says the tvOS update brings “minor bug fixes and improvements” to Apple TV HD and Apple TV 4K.
When it comes to HomePod Software 15.4.1, Apple is a bit more chatty. A piece from MacRumors says that one “fixes an issue that could cause some HomeKit accessories to fail to respond when controlled via Siri voice commands.”
All of the updates are free, because what’s it been - a decade or more since they stopped charging for updates? They’re all available in the same old usual ways.
