Apple Releases macOS High Sierra, iOS 11 Updates
Apple has just released updates not only for macOS and iOS but also for the rest of their line-up of operating systems on Wednesday, Jan. 24. Public releases of new versions of macOS High Sierra, iOS, tvOS and watchOS were released.
The new iOS for this round of updates got the longer changelog this time, as Apple prepares for the upcoming release of new home devices. A major highlight of the new iOS 11.2.5, as detailed on Apple's support page update, is the added support for the upcoming HomePod.
The Apple HomePod is set to release on Feb. 9, a date that the company confirmed after several setbacks. The new smart home speaker will be powered by Siri as its voice-activated assistant, and Apple is preparing ahead of time by adding new features.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
As part of the iOS update, Siri can now read news feeds, and can now recognize a command like "Hey Siri, play the news." The smart assistant can now also play back feeds from specific news categories when asked to, like sports, music or business topics. For now, news channels covered are limited to the U.S., U.K. and Australia.
iOS 11.2.5 can now also let HomePods connect to existing Apple ID, Apple Music, Siri and Wi-Fi settings from another iOS device via a new setup process.
The new macOS High Sierra update is somewhat minor compared to the new iOS release, as Ars Technica notes. As expected, macOS High Sierra 10.13.3 brings improved stability and security to the operating system, as well as fix some major issues with the Messages app and the SMB file-sharing service.
The new watchOS 4.2.2 has nothing newsworthy to add to Apple Watch owners, other than an update that " includes improvements and bug fixes," as well as some security updates added in as well. Likewise with the tvOS 11.2.5, with just the usual bug fixes and performance improvements.
