iOS 15.6 and macOS Monterey 12.5 arrive to fix bugs

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iOS 15.6 and macOS Monterey 12.5 are here to fix bugs
What might be the last update to macOS Monterey is out.
Photo: Pixabay/Pexels

Beta testing on iOS 15.6 and macOS Monterey 12.5 is over, and these updates are now available for anyone to install. They bring a number of small tweaks to iPhone and Mac.

Don’t confuse these with iOS 16 and macOS Ventura, which are major upgrades coming this fall.

Apple also released the full versions of iPadOS 15.6, watchOS 8.7 and tvOS 15.6 on Wednesday.

iOS 15.6, macOS 12.5, iPadOS 15.6, watchOS 8.7 and tvOS 15.6 arrive

The operating system updates Apple releases in the summer are always “lame ducks.” Major new versions are unveiled each June at Apple’s annual developers conference, but these don’t launch until fall. In the meantime, small updates to the previous versions keep coming, but these rarely offer anything exciting.

That’s the case with iOS 15.6 and macOS 12.5. They are primarily bug fixes with no new features.

The release notes for the iPhone update say:

iOS 15.6 includes enhancements, bug fixes and security updates.

  • TV app adds the option to restart a live sports game already in-progress and pause, rewind, or fast-forward
  • Fixes an issue where Settings may continue to display that device storage is full even if it is available
  • Fixes an issue that may cause braille devices to slow down or stop responding when navigating text in Mail
  • Fixes an issue in Safari where a tab may revert back to a previous page

And the release notes for the Mac update say:

macOS Monterey 12.5 includes enhancements, bug fixes and security updates.

  • TV app adds the option to restart a live sports game already in progress and pause, rewind, or fast-forward
  • Fixes an issue in Safari where a tab may revert back to a previous page

The changes made in iPadOS 15.6, watchOS 8.7 and tvOS 15.6 are equally minor.

Interesting new features are reserved for iOS 16, macOS Ventura, iPadOS 16, watchOS 9 or tvOS 16, which are currently in beta testing.

How to install the latest macOS, iOS, iPadOS and watchOS versions

Anyone with a compatible Mac can download macOS Monterey 12.5 now. Go to Apple menu  > About This Mac. Then click Software Update. Alternatively, you can install the new version from the App Store. (Note: At the time of writing, Apple had not yet updated the version of macOS Monterey in the App Store. But it should happen soon.)

iPhone and iPad users can install iOS 15.6 or iPadOS 15.6 with an over-the-air update. That’s accomplished by opening the Settings app and going to General > Software Update. Alternatively, connect the device to a Mac, or to a PC running iTunes.

The watchOS 8.7 update can be installed directly onto and Apple Watch, as long as the wearable is connected to Wi-Fi. From the Settings app just navigate to General > Software Update. Alternatively, it can be installed from an iPhone by opening the Apple Watch app and going to My Watch > General > Software Update.

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