07/19 Update below. This post was originally published on July 16.
Apple iOS 13.6 is here and it’s a big deal as it offers exciting new features and lots of major fixes. But does it break more than it fixes and should I upgrade? The signs look good.
Tip: bookmark this page because I will keep you updated if new issues are found. I will give my final verdict in a week.
Apple iOS 13
For whom?
iOS 13.6 is available for all devices compatible with iOS 13. This means the iPhone 6S and newer and the seventh generation iPod touch. It should ask you to update automatically, but if not, you can activate the update manually by navigating to Settings> General> Software update. Beta testers, if you are running iOS 14 (more on this in the ‘The Road Ahead’ section at the end), you need to unsubscribe your iPhone, otherwise iOS 13.6 will not appear. IPad owners, Apple has moved it to iPadOS. This is not an iPadOS-centric guide, but I will address the pertinent issues in these guides.
07/18 Update: Some misleading reports Currently circulating that iOS 13.6 brings FaceTime to the UAE. Such development would be great news for the region, as the UAE blocks major services like FaceTime and WhatsApp, although there have been signs of progress recently after Skype for Business and Google Hangouts bans were lifted in June. Unfortunately, however, the reports are incorrect. FaceTime will work if you have an Apple ID in the US and you change the regions of your iPhone to the US, but this is a trick. The official lock has not been removed and this solution is not connected to anything in iOS 13.6. Given the recent UAE changes, there may be an exemption sooner rather than later, but this is not all.
07/19 Update: A few more iOS 13.6 bugs start to appear as more iPhone users update. These include locks, problems with notifications and increasing reports of battery depletion (one,two,3,4 4,5 5 etc) That said, while these issues are important to note, they are still fairly isolated cases and iOS updates can cause further battery drain while your iPhone is re-indexing. Despite this, I will be on the lookout for these issues as well as any bugs that come up and deliver my final update verdict a week after launch. However, as things stand, I would still recommend anyone wanting to upgrade to iOS 13.6 to do so because the combination of new features and significant security fixes (details below) are worth it.
The Deal Breakers
Jailbreakers, you should avoid iOS 13.6. The awesome jailbreak tool that has broken the latest iOS 13 releases, Unc0ver has yet to announce a jailbreak for this update. With that said, I suspect you won’t have to wait long.
For everyone else, 24 hours after launch, things look very promising. While there are isolated cases of minor graphics glitches and reliability issues with Face ID, overall complaints are rare in the field, even on Reddit. Also, while not listed among the solutions (more in the next section), complaints have stopped at the serious battery drain issue caused by Apple Music, so a solution appears to have escaped under the radar.
So what do you get?
Apple’s official iOS 13.6 release notes provide the following description and key features:
IOS 13.6 adds support for car digital keys, features audio stories on Apple News +, and contains a new category of symptoms in the Health app. This release also includes bug fixes and enhancements. “
Digital car keys
- Unlock, lock and start your compatible car with your iPhone
- Securely delete digital keys from a lost device through iCloud
- Easily share digital keys with iMessage
- Driver-specific profiles so you can configure shared keys for full access or restricted driving
- Power reserve allows you to unlock and start your car for up to five hours after iPhone runs out of battery
NewsApple Newsp
- Audio stories are professionally narrated versions of some of the best readings from Apple News +, selected and produced by the editors of Apple News as part of their subscription to Apple News +
- Apple News Today is a new free audio briefing on the top stories of the day from the publishers of Apple News, also available in the Podcasts app
- A new Audio tab makes it easy to find Apple News Today and Apple
News + audio stories
- CarPlay lets you listen to Apple News Today and Apple News + audio stories on the go
- Local news in your Today feed provides extensive coverage of San Francisco, the Bay Area, Los Angeles, Houston, and New York City.
- More stories available from local news providers with a subscription to Apple News +
- Your boApple News daily newsletter can now be personalized with stories that reflect your interests.
Health
- New category of symptoms in the Health app, including symptoms recorded from Cycle Tracking and ECG
- Ability to record new symptoms, such as fever, chills, sore throat, or cough, and share them with third-party apps
The big news here is CarKey, the new game-changing feature from Apple that enables your iPhone to function as a digital key for compatible third-party cars. BMW is the first manufacturer to offer compatible models, but expects the bracket to expand rapidly alongside third-party accessories to bring the feature to older cars.
According to Apple’s official security page, iOS 13.6 also brings no less than 26 security fixes and patches for a number of bugs, including iCloud sync issues, eSim data roaming issues, audio interruption with WiFi calls, and issues. compatibility with third-party physical keyboards.
Apple iOS 13.6 verdict: jailbreakers ignore, everyone else improves
Historically, iOS releases get more stable towards the end of each generation and, after the myriad of iOS 13 launch issues, I’m happy to say that it finally seems to be the case with iOS 13.6. As always, cautious enhancers should allow more time for bugs to reveal themselves, but those interested in jumping into the latest update should feel confident doing so.
I will continue to monitor the reports as the number of iOS 13.6 updates increases and I deliver my final verdict in a week.
The way ahead
Apple released the first public beta version of iOS 14 and it’s Apple’s most ambitious generational update in years. iOS 14 finally brings major changes to the home screen with support for widgets, an app drawer (also known as ‘App Library’), compact notifications for calls and Siri, picture-in-picture video, a review of messages, new cycling routes in Maps, Advanced Language Translation and much more.
Of course, the vast majority of these additions are Android update features, but that’s not a bad thing. Apple has been smart to eliminate these (long-lasting) differences while also leaning on its class-leading updates and longevity of device support. If Apple can fix the bugs in the beta version, iOS 14 could be an innovative version.
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