Health & Fitness
Smartwatches

Apple's iOS 12.4 and watchOS 5.3 updates fix Walkie Talkie vulnerability

By Matt Swider published 22 July 2019

It's a small update before iOS 13 in a little over a month

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Image credit: Apple (Image credit: Apple)

Your iPhone and Apple Watch are getting software updates today, care of iOS 12.4 and watchOS 5.3, which may be the last changes before iOS 13 and watchOS 6.

The official release notes for iOS 12.4 suggest this is an incremental update, with the one standout feature: the return of Walkie Talkie functionality on the Apple Watch.

Apple disabled the Walkie Talkie feature earlier this month due to an eavesdropping vulnerability, while noting that no one actually took advantage of the security flaw.

The Apple Watch ECG app – which takes electrocardiogram measurements – is also expanding its reach to Canada and Singapore after debuting in the US and Europe. It can allow user detect atrial fibrillation (AF).

Bigger changes coming to iOS 13

Bigger software changes are coming to your Apple devices with iOS 13, watchOS 6 and iPadOS, and all three should arrive in September along with the iPhone 11.

Thanks to an ongoing public beta, you can test out iOS 13 Dark Mode, the new QuickPath swipe keyboard, enhanced photo editing tools, and a redesigned Reminders app.

watchOS 6, meanwhile, is getting its own on-wrist App Store, a tip calculator and a way to protect your hearing, or at least a way to warn you of really loud noises.