Apple iOS 12.1 and tvOS 12.1 released

Apple 12.1 is now official, as the company has publicly released the latest version of their mobile operating system for all compatible iOS devices. The newest version of iOS includes group FaceTime support for up to 32 users, depth-of-field control on new iPhones, Dual-SIM support and more.

With Group FaceTime, customers with the Apple iPhone 6s and higher can participate in FaceTime video calls with up to 32 people. Older models between the iPhone 5s and iPhone 6 will be able to make Group FaceTime audio calls.

Those who own an iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max or iPhone XR will be able to take advantage of the new depth-of-field control when capturing portrait photos on their iPhones. While users were always able to control the blurriness of the background after a portrait is processed, the new feature allows this to be handled while in real-time.

New iPhone owners will also find that the dual-SIM capabilities of their handsets will be enabled after installing the iOS 12.1 update. While customers were always able to use their physical SIM, the update will unlock the eSIM for carriers who support it.

Additionally, the iOS 12.1 update brings 70 new emojis to all supported devices.

But that's not all, the new update also brings several big fixes and improvements to the platform:

• Improve cellular connectivity for the iPhone XS and XR
• Let you use Face ID or Touch ID to reset a child’s Screen Time passcode
• Fix a bug that caused messages to be merged into one thread when two users were signed in with the same Apple ID on multiple iPhones
• Address a bug that prevented some voicemails from appearing
• Resolve a bug that could cause phone number to appear in the Phone app without its corresponding contact name
• Fix a Screen Time bug that prevented reporting on specific Web sites in the Activity report
• Add a performance management feature to prevent the iPhone 8, 8 Plus, and X from shutting down
• Tell you if your iPhone XS or XR battery is counterfeit; look in Settings > Battery > Battery Health
• Improve the reliability of VoiceOver in Camera, Safari, and Siri
• Fix an issue that could cause MDM Device Enrollment to report an Invalid Profile error for some enterprise users

The iOS 12.1 update also features 24 security fixes.

Users can install the iOS 12.1 update directly on their compatible iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch by going to Settings > General > Software Update. It is recommended that your battery is fully charged and that you are connected to a strong Wi-Fi connection before initiating the update.

You could also manually download the iOS 12.1 IPSW files and install it on your device using iTunes.

• iPhone XS Max
• iPhone XS
• iPhone XR
• iPhone X
• iPhone 8
• iPhone 8 Plus
• iPhone 7
• iPhone 7 Plus
• iPhone 6s
• iPhone 6
• iPhone 6s Plus
• iPhone 6 Plus
• iPhone SE
• iPhone 5s GSM
• iPhone 5s CDMA
• iPad Pro (10.5-inch)
• iPad Pro (11-inch – 2018)
• iPad Pro (12.9-inch) (1st generation | 2nd generation | 3rd generation)
• iPad 5 (9.7-inch – 2017)
• iPad 6 (9.7-inch – 2018)
• iPad Air 2
• iPad mini 4
• iPad mini 3
• iPad Pro (9.7‑inch)
• iPad Air 1, iPad mini 2
• iPod touch (6th generation)

Apple tvOS 12.1 released

Apple also released the final version of tvOS 12.1 which "includes general performance and stability improvements" and 11 security fixes. The update should install automatically on your Apple TV (fourth-generation) or Apple TV 4K if you have automatic updates enabled. You could also try manually checking for the update under Settings > System > Software Updates on your Apple TV.