Apple releases much-awaited update for iDevices

Oct 20, 2014 18:12 GMT  ·  By

As promised, Apple rolled out the first major update for iOS 8 customers today, opening up Apple Pay availability, new SMS features for iPad and Mac, Photos enhancements, and a great deal of fixes, especially for connectivity issues.

According to Apple’s official documentation, “this release includes new features, improvements and bug fixes, including Apple Pay support for iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, access to iCloud Photo Library beta, and support for SMS messaging on iPad and Mac.”

This is just a summary of the contents, as will be revealed in the paragraphs to follow.

Apple Pay support, Photos & Messages enhancements

As expected, iOS 8.1 enables NFC and Touch ID devices to use the new payment system announced by Apple alongside the iPhone 6. Apple Pay support is currently available to US customers only.

The Photos app packs new features, improvements, and fixes. These include iCloud Photo Library (currently in beta), Camera Roll (returning feature), My Photo Stream (when iCloud Photo Library is switched off), and alerts when running low on space when you’re shooting Time Lapse videos.

Messages adds the ability to send and receive SMS and MMS text messages on from a Mac or iPad.

Lots and lots of bug fixes

iOS 8.1 promised to be more of a feature update than a maintenance release, but as it turns out, it has more bug fixes than it has new functionality.

For example, the new firmware addresses an issue where search would sometimes not display results, a bug that caused read messages not to be marked as read, and improves group messaging.

There’s more. Customers experiencing issues with Wi-Fi will breathe a sigh of relief, and the same goes for those having problems with Bluetooth hands-free devices. iOS 8 caused screen rotation to stop working and iOS 8.1 fixes that. The update further addresses an issue in Safari where videos would sometimes not play and adds an option to select between 2G, 3G, or LTE networks.

Safari would sometimes prevent some videos from playing properly in iOS 8. The update patches this bug as well. Other new additions include AirDrop support for Passbook passes, an option to enable Dictation in Settings for Keyboards separate from Siri, and background access for HealthKit apps.

Accessibility improvements and fixes

Believe it or not, there’s more. The seemingly small iOS 8.1 update also includes fixes for issues involving Guided Access, VoiceOver (would not work with 3rd-party keyboards), stability and audio quality using MFi Hearing Aids with iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, handwriting, Bluetooth keyboards, and Braille displays.