News on Mobile OS Releases, March 2022

Android 

Android 12L’s final release removes the ‘show touches’ option for screen recorder on Pixel

Google officially launched Android 12L yesterday with a focus on big screens and new features for existing Pixel smartphones. In Android 12L’s final release, though, the “show touches” option for the screen recorder on Pixel devices is missing.

Full content and details (external sources): 9to5Google

‘Play as you download’ coming soon to all on Android 12 as Google launches ‘Partner Program for Games’

Google detailed its latest efforts and tools for Android developers. “Play as you download” was introduced alongside Android 12 to let end users start a game without having to endure a long install. Google analyzes crowdsourced “first-play experience filesystem access patterns” to identify which assets to optimize.

Full content and details (external sources): 9to5Google

Android 13 DP2: ‘Do Not Disturb’ rebranded to ‘Priority mode’

Google has decided to rename Android’s classic “Do Not Disturb” setting to “Priority mode” in the latest preview of Android 13.

Full content and details (external sources) :9to5Google

You can easily try Android 13’s new Material You styles with this app

Android 13’s second developer preview adds a handful of new Material You styles, but they’re not very easy to access at this point. The fun app Repainter has added support for Android 13’s new Material You styles. 

Full content and details (external sources) :9to5Google

Apple iOS 

Apple iOS 15.4 Update That Allows iPhone Face ID Unlock While Wearing a Mask & iOS 15.4 update reportedly causing battery drain for some users

Apple started rolling out iOS 15.4. Its biggest spotlight feature is the ability to unlock your phone using Face ID with a mask on. iOS 14.5 originally introduced Face ID with a mask for iPhone users with an Apple Watch. The new Face ID only works on the iPhone 13 and iPhone 12 generation, though and is slower and less secure. A growing number of people are reporting bad battery life after the OTA. 

Full content and details (external sources): GSMArena, Gadgets

Apple stops signing iOS 15.3.1, blocking downgrades from iOS 15.4

Apple on Wednesday stopped signing iOS 15.3.1 for all iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad models. iOS 15.4 was released with significant new features such as Face ID unlocking while wearing a mask, Universal Control for iPads, new emojis, enhancements to iCloud Keychain, a new Siri voice for US users, Tap to Pay, and more.

Full content and details (external sources): 9to5Mac

iOS 15 now includes every feature first announced at WWDC 2021, just in time for iOS 16

iOS 15 was released in September and several features were missing with the first public availability of the iPhone’s latest operating system. After six months, Apple finally released every feature previewed during its 2021 Worldwide Developers Conference. Apple was also able to bring with the first version of iOS 15 the ability to track iPhones even when powered off, but lots of other features were still missing.

Full content and details (external sources): 9to5Mac

HarmonyOS 

Huawei HarmonyOS March 2022 Updates List

Huawei March 2022 security patch details have arrived for smartphones and tablets running on HarmonyOS 2.0 system. According to March 2022 patch details, it brings fixes for 2 CVEs in the framework, 8 CVEs in the system, and 25 CVEs were resolved in third-party libraries. Also, the patch protects the device against severe threats. Furthermore, the installation of the latest firmware update also enhances the overall device performance.

Full content and details (external sources): HuaweiCentral

HarmonyOS 2

At Huawei Developer Conference (HDC) 2020, Huawei HarmonyOS 2 AKA HongmengOS 2 made its debut. 

Full content and details (external sources): HuaweiCentral

EMUI

EMUI 12 Rollout Schedule: Eligible Devices and Regions/Countries

Huawei has released an official EMUI 12 rollout schedule for the eligible devices belonging to different regions and countries. The EMUI 12 schedule shows the firmware rollout date and current status for corresponding models. Following the EMUI 12 schedule, we have found that all Huawei eligible devices are likely to get the latest EMUI 12 software version by the end of April 2022.

Full content and details (external sources): HuaweiCentral

Huawei March 2022 EMUI security update details released

Huawei has released March 2022 EMUI security patch details for smartphones and tablet devices. It brings fixes to several threats and enables improved system security. This update rollout also brings a number of new features as well as new optimizations for the system to help your phone run smoother and will boost your device’s security performance in all possible aspects.

Full content and details (external sources): HuaweiCentral, HuaweiCentral