Apple has just released a minor update to iOS – version 12.1.1 – to combat some usability issues that have caused problems since iOS 12.1 was released a month ago.
Key amongst the changes is a tweak to the interface in FaceTime. Apple recently reorganized the button layout in its video-calling app, presumably to make provide more screen space for those 32-person video calls that are now possible. However, this moved the button that swaps between the front and back cameras into a submenu, turning what used to be an easy switch into a three-tap process. The change confused a lot of users, but thankfully Apple has backed down and reverted to the original system with this update. You can now switch cameras with a single tap again.
iOS 12.1.1 also brings back the ability to snap a Live Photo within a FaceTime call. However, this feature only works in one-on-one calls in which both parties have the feature enabled.
Beyond that, there are minor changes to the News app, and improved eSIM support for anyone with the latest iPhones. Apple has also fixed various bugs that disabled Face ID, stopped visual voicemail downloading, and messed with predictive text.
So, is it worth updating? We would always recommend grabbing the latest iOS versions as soon as they drop, to ensure you’re protected with the very latest security updates. That said, if the bugs mentioned above aren’t affecting you then there’s not much reason to update beyond minor security improvements, so we’ll leave the choice to you.
Remember that all iOS updates are free, and can be quickly and easily delivered “over the air” from Settings > General > Software Update.