Apple released several new operating system updates today: iOS 15.3, iPadOS 15.3, macOS Monterey 12.2, watchOS 8.4, tvOS 15.3, and HomePod Software 15.3.
The update notes for these releases are some of the most sparse I’ve ever seen. iOS, iPadOS, and macOS simply state that the update “includes bug fixes and security updates”and is “recommended for all users.”
iOS and iPadOS 15.3 do not add any new user features. Rather, they address several key security concerns. Most notable is the zero-day vulnerability that has been exploited in the wild. Tracked as CVE-2022-22587, the threat is related to a memory corruption bug in IOMobileFrameBuffer. Hackers who successfully exploit the bug can execute malicious code with kernel privileges on affected devices. The vulnerability is also present in macOS Monterey.
“Apple is aware of a report that this issue may have been heavily exploited,”the release notes said on Wednesday.
A complete list of security updates for iOS and iPadOS can be found on the respective Apple Support page. There is a similar page for macOS as well.
macOS 12.2 also finally makes Apple Music fully native and based on AppKit in macOS, and the update improves the smoothness of scrolling in Safari on Macs with 120Hz ProMotion displays.
As for the Apple Watch update, it’s again about fixing bugs. Specifically, watchOS 8.4 fixes a widespread issue that prevented some Apple Watch Series 7 owners from charging properly with certain chargers.
Apple TV and HomePod software updates also arrived today. The HomePod 15.3 update “adds Siri voice recognition support for up to six users in the home in English (India) and Italian (Italy)”as well as “performance and stability improvements.”HomePod mini launched in Italy and India late last year.
Apple hasn’t released any details about the tvOS update, but this update likely also offered performance and stability improvements.
Apple has also been busy with more than just software updates this week. For months now, users have been complaining to app developers about iCloud sync issues accompanied by error messages that say “request failed with HTTP status code 503”. The developers quickly realized that this was a problem on Apple’s part, although many users believed that the developers were to blame.
Now the developers are reporting on Twitter and elsewhere that the iCloud Sync bug seems to be fixed. However, Apple has yet to release a public statement on the matter.
All of the above software updates are available for all supported devices starting today.