Apple has officially started rolling out the iOS 14.2 update for iPhones, which is the second major update since the release of iOS 14 by Apple in September. As usual with major updates, it brings many system fixes, security patches, and new features that enhance the experience for millions of users.
Getting the new update is simple, just open “Settings,” then click on “General,” then “Software Update,” and then wait a bit before clicking on “Download and Install.” The download may take some time as it is a major update with a large file size. Once the installation is complete, you can explore the new features, which we will highlight in this article, so let’s get started right away.
1- Over 100 new emojis
With iOS 14.2, Apple adds the new set of emojis (Emoji 13) which includes 117 new emoticons in various categories including animals, food, faces, household items, and musical instruments. Some of the interesting emojis include a smiling face with tears, which seems to capture the emotions of 2020, and a masked face. There are also emojis for folded hands, magic wands, feather, mouse trap, bucket, teapot, beetle, black cat, polar bear, anatomical heart, and lungs. You can explore these emojis yourself after updating your iPhone and visiting this link which lists all the new emojis and their shapes. Keep in mind that these emojis may not appear for everyone but only on devices and browsers that support Emoji 13.
2- Integration of Shazam for music recognition
Apple has integrated the Shazam app with iOS in version 14.2 after acquiring the popular song recognition app for $400 million in 2018. The way Apple has integrated the app is fantastic, with the addition of a Shazam button in the control center for quick and easy access from anywhere without the need to download the Shazam app from the store. After installing the update, you just need to go to Settings, then “Control Center,” then press the + next to “Music Recognition” to add the button to the control center.
Later, when you are listening to music and want to know its name, all you have to do is open your iPhone and swipe up to display the control center items, then tap on the “Shazam” icon to activate the microphone and listen to the music playing around you. Once it is recognized, a window will appear at the top showing information about the song or music where you can play it directly via the Apple Music app if you wish.
3- Eight new wallpapers
Along with the new emojis, Apple has also added eight new wallpapers for anyone updating to iOS 14.2. Four of these wallpapers feature desert-themed landscapes, while the other four are digital art pieces of various lakes. The great thing is that all wallpapers support Dark Mode, so when you set any of them as your home screen or lock screen wallpaper and activate Dark Mode from the screen settings, the colors of the wallpapers automatically adjust to fit this dark style. If you have an iPhone X or higher, it is best to choose one of the landscape wallpapers because a large part of them turns black when Dark Mode is activated, helping to save battery life as modern iPhones use OLED technology.
4- Music suggestions in Control Center
If you are an Apple Music subscriber, you will love this feature. After updating your iPhone to the latest version iOS 14.2, you can access music suggestions directly from the Control Center. At any time, when not playing music, swipe up from the bottom of the screen or swipe down from the top right corner on iPhone X and above, and when the Control Center items appear, long-press on the media control tool next to the communication control tool. You will then get a new interface displaying a range of suggested songs and playlists based on your preferences in Apple Music. Press on any of them to start playing immediately — no need to open the Apple Music app first.
5- Volume level notifications
When iOS 14 was first released, there was a new feature in the sound settings to protect users from the risks of high volumes when using headphones or AirPods. By enabling the “Reduce Loud Sounds” option from the settings, the phone starts recognizing the surrounding sounds while you are listening to music, and when external noise exceeds the allowed limit (which is defined in decibels after activating the option), the music volume is raised relative to adjust.
After updating to iOS 14.2, a new option was added to the “Safe Headphone Usage” page in the sound settings on the iPhone. Now when you activate the option “Headphone Volume Notifications,” the phone will start monitoring the volume levels you have set while using headphones over a period of 7 days. If it detects that you have been listening to music, or anything, at high volume levels throughout this period, it will send a notification along with automatically lowering the volume to the appropriate level.
