iOS 15.5 and macOS 12.4 bring updates to podcasts, digital payments, and more.

On Tuesday, Apple released new software updates for all of its platforms. This includes the following:

• iOS 15.5 for iPhone and iPod touch
• iPadOS 15.5 for iPad
• macOS 12.4 for Mac computers
• watchOS 8.6 for Apple Watch
• tvOS 15.5 for Apple TV
• HomePod 15.5 Software for HomePods
• Firmware Studio Display 15.5 for Studio Display
• Swift Playgrounds 4.1 for iPad and Mac

These are almost certainly the last updates ahead of the company’s annual developer conference, due to begin on June 6th. Among other things, Apple will announce iOS and iPadOS 16, macOS 13 and watchOS 9 at the conference, but these updates will not appear until later this year.

iOS 15.5

Today’s iOS update brings enough new user-facing features to get the 15.x label instead of the 15.xx that’s commonly used for bug fixes and the like.

And version 15.5 allows the iPhone to be used as a point-of-sale device without any additional hardware, as reported in February.

In the past, merchants such as farmer’s market stalls and home renovation services used iPhones with connected accessories from companies like Stripe to accept payments.

Now the iPhone does not need these investments; Stripe works great with a fresh iPhone.

In addition, iOS 15.5 introduces security features in the Messages app designed to prevent children from accessing inappropriate content in the following new countries:

• Australia
• Canada
• New Zealand
• United Kingdom
• United States

macOS 12.4

For macOS, Apple lists only two changes in the release notes that affect users. It adds support for the Studio Display 15.5 firmware update (which claims to improve webcam performance on Apple’s new monitor), and the built-in Podcasts app gets the same new feature as iOS.

However, macOS 12.4 includes over 50 security updates, according to the Apple Support documentation.

watchOS 8.6

watchOS 8.6 is a relatively minor update. It expands some of the watch’s medical features, namely irregular heart rate and ECG detection, for Apple Watch users in Mexico.

Other updates

Firmware Studio Display 15.5 tries to address some user complaints about the monitor’s webcam quality. Apple hasn’t shared details about the HomePod or tvOS 15.5 firmware update.

There is also Swift Playgrounds 4.1 for Mac and iPad. It’s not an OS update, but it came out around the same time. It allows users to use Playgrounds to build apps with SwiftUI on Mac and deepens App Store Connect integration for app publishing, among other things.