Apple tries to improve iPhone 14 crash detection with iOS 16.1.2

Apple released a minor software update for the iPhone today. Unlike many other iOS updates, the new iOS 16.1.2 was not released along with updates for other Apple operating systems such as macOS or watchOS.

According to Apple’s release notes, iOS 16.1.2 primarily does two things: improves compatibility with unspecified wireless carriers, and optimizes crash detection on the iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro, and iPhone 14 Pro Max.

Some users have complained that the algorithm triggers scenarios that are not related to car accidents, in particular roller coaster rides in amusement parks. But it’s not clear if the optimizations in iOS 16.1.2 address these issues or if they’re just meant to improve the algorithm in other scenarios.

The next iOS update is expected to be much more significant. In iOS 16.2, sports scores will be implemented using Live Activity, allowing users to see real-time score updates for specific sports games either on the lock screen or in Dynamic Island on iPhone 14 Pro. It will also include Apple’s new Freeform visual note app, sleep and medication tracking lock screen widgets, additional always-on lock screen settings for the iPhone 14 Pro, and 5G support in India.

This update will probably arrive sometime in December. In the meantime, here are Apple’s brief release notes for 16.1.2:

This update contains important security updates and the following improvements for your iPhone:

• Improved compatibility with wireless carriers.
• Optimized crash detection on iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro models.

For information about security content in Apple software updates, visit this website:
https://support.apple.com/kb/HT201222.