‘Great Secret Features’ and ‘Nasty Surprises’ are my regular columns investigating the best features / biggest problems hidden behind the headlines.
Spotted in a deep dive by the excellent Guilherme Rambo of 9to5Mac, the latest code for iOS 12.2 contains several easter eggs:
1. AirPower support - yes, Apple’s almost-mythical fast wireless charging standard looks set for release with iOS 12.2 after Rambo found changes within the update for “the components on iOS responsible for interfacing with the AirPower charging mat”. AirPower now looks certain to arrive at Apple’s March 25 “It’s Show Time” event.
2. Activity Rings In Wallet - similarly, Rambo has spotted code within iOS 12.2 which strongly suggests Apple will adapt the Activity Rings currently used in Apple’s Health app to display financial indicators in Wallet. This ties in with a WSJ report which claims the launch of an Apple credit card will coincide with it.
3. Warranty Information, AppleCare Purchasing - iOS 12.2 contains code which can display a device’s remaining warranty status in the About section of Settings. Moreover, this looks set to be used as a way to upsell AppleCare warranties directly on the device. Rambo notes this is currently disabled in the beta “but it looks like it will be enabled for the final version of iOS 12.2.”
Needless to say, these features are a tiny taste of what iOS 12.2 will bring.
Headline features include the introduction of an Apple News subscription service, improved Safari privacy, HomeKit and AirPlay 2 support for third-party TVs, a redesigned TV remote in Control Center and much more.
The signs look good for iOS 12.2, so let’s hope Apple avoids some of the recent showstopping iPhone bugs when it launches in the next few weeks….
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