iOS 12.2 with new Apple News+, Animoji, and AirPlay 2 for smart TVs now available to download

Hit that update button because iOS 12.2 is here.

Coinciding with this week's release of the new iPad Air, iPad mini, and updated AirPods, Apple released iOS 12.2. Besides being a required update for the new AirPods to work, iOS 12.2 also comes with several notable new features including AirPlay support for select smart TVs and a handful of new Animoji for iPhone X or newer.

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As promised earlier this year, iOS 12.2 switches on AirPlay 2 support for streaming videos, music, photos, and presentations on smart TVs from brands such as Samsung, LG, Sony, and Vizio. iOS 12 also adds HomeKit support for select smart TVs as well.

There's also four new Animoji to send as stickers in iMessage or use during FaceTime calls: giraffe, shark, owl, and boar. Animoji are only available for iPhone X and newer devices.

Apple News is finally available for Canada with articles available in English, French, or a mix of both. iOS 12.2 also adds the just-announced Apple News+ service to the regular Apple News app (it's got a new icon with white background if you can't find it), which provides access to curated news stories, magazines, and content from newspapers such as the The Wall Street Journal and The Los Angeles Times.

The Weather app has new settings to view weather conditions and an Air Quality index.

Apple also improved the sound quality for voice messages in iMessage. Where previous voice messages used a rusty AMR voice codec, iOS 12.2 has improved audio quality with a new Opus codec for clearer sound.

As with any update, there are a bunch of minor under-the-hood tweaks to iOS as well as the usual security patches. To keep your iOS device safe, we highly recommend backing up your data and updating.

To update your software, go to Settings > General > Software Update. If you don't see the update immediately, try again later as Apple's servers might be getting hammered from everyone trying to update at the same time.

Devices that can be updated to iOS 12.2 include: iPhone 5S and newer, iPad mini 2 and newer, iPad Air (first-gen) and newer, 9.7-inch iPad (2018), iPad Pro (all generations), and iPod touch (6th-generation).