Some iPhone users woke up this weekend to continuously crashing iPhones, iPads, and other iDevices, and Apple has pushed out its iOS 11.2 software update early to fix this and numerous other issues. The update also starts the rollout for Apple Pay Cash and enables 7.5W wireless charging on new iPhones.
Users took to Internet forums early this weekend after discovering an iOS 11 bug that made their iPhones crash after 12:15am on December 2. Aside from the date and time, the issue was tied to local notifications from scheduled daily alerts or from apps that send repeat reminders. A support document issued by Apple tells users to turn off notifications for all apps on the iDevice before installing iOS 11.2. This bug appears to be the reason Apple pushed out iOS 11.2 so quickly to all users. The software update had been in beta for just over a month, and currently Apple hasn't even updated its security page to include security details about iOS 11.2.
In addition to fixing the date bug, iOS 11.2 starts the rollout of Apple Pay Cash. This is Apple's peer-to-peer payment system that lets users send and receive money through iMessage. Funds are drawn from a linked credit or debit card and are sent in the form of an Apple Pay Cash Card. Those who receive money through Apple Pay Cash can spend it through Apple's Wallet app or transfer the money to a linked bank account.
Currently, Apple Pay Cash is only available in the US, but it appears that the early release of iOS 11.2 hindered the full rollout of Apple's new payment system. It's not activated for all users yet: some may not see the Apple Pay Cash toggle in the Wallet & Apple Pay settings page, or the Wallet app inside of the Messages app. It's possible that Apple will formally activate Apple Pay Cash later this week.
iOS 11.2 also enables 7.5W wireless fast charging with compatible Qi-based accessories, letting the new iPhone 8, 8 Plus, and iPhone X charge faster using wireless accessories than with the standard power adaptor. Other additions include Live wallpapers for the iPhone X, video camera stabilization improvements, and alerts that clarify the functions of the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth toggles in the Control Center.
While the date bug fix is the biggest fix provided in iOS 11.2, the software update also fixes bugs that caused the Settings app to open to a blank screen, Music controls to not appear on the lock screen, the keyboard to respond slowly, and the Calculator app to display incorrect results when numbers were typed too quickly. iOS 11.2 is available for iPhone 5S and later, iPad Air and later, and the 6th generation iPod touch and it can be downloaded by navigating to Settings > General > Software Update.
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