Apple Releases iOS 18.5, macOS 15.5, and Other x.5 OS Updates

[ddmiller (Doug Miller)]

@frans

I was forced to upgrade my Watch to 11.5 right after the upgrade of my phone had finished, no option to do it at night. The download took over an hour, preparing took over 30 minutes. During the prepare the battery of my Watch dropped below 20% so I decided to turn on Low Power mode, hoping it would not affect the upgrade. When the prepare was done I decided to perform the upgrade immediately because the battery had dropped to about 15%. So I put the Watch and iPhone on their chargers and waited.

Apple suggests that the watch be plugged in and on the charger before upgrading, and it’s probably more important for a big upgrade like this. It’s disappointing if you want to keep the watch on, but I’d suggest it going forward.

@frans

swiping between Watch faces no longer directly changes just the face but often opens an app,

That was a change in watchOS 11 initially - the official way to change faces is long-press and then swipe and tap to select. But that’s now an option. On the watch, Settings app, scroll down to “Clock”, and turn on swipe to switch watch faces. This was added with watchOS 11.1 I think…

[jk2gs]

@frans

the Remote app no longer sees iTunes or Music on a Mac so I can no longer control the music I stream from any Mac mini in my house; this is a function I used several times a day, very unhappy about this

This feature should still work as I’m up to date on my iPhone. Check the settings on your phone under Apps for Remote as the first one where Remote needs to access the local network might have been turned off somehow:

[mschmitt (Michael Schmitt)]

I hit the problem where iOS Mail just displays a blank mail list. I should have held off for iOS 18.5.1.

[frans]

@ddmiller

Apple suggests that the watch be plugged in and on the charger before upgrading, and it’s probably more important for a big upgrade like this.

I am aware of that and usually when I get a message that an update is available I select ‘install tonight’ and all goes fine because I charge my watch at night. This time the update was forced, it just started and gave me no option to choose anything.

@ddmiller

That was a change in watchOS 11 initially - the official way to change faces is long-press and then swipe and tap to select. But that’s now an option. On the watch, Settings app, scroll down to “Clock”, and turn on swipe to switch watch faces.

I know and have had that set ever since it was available. The issue I am facing is that the watch no longer DIRECTLY switches faces after a swipe, sometimes an app opens, seemingly one related to a complication on the face you are moving from. I have now discovered that it seems to matter where you swipe or start the swipe. Apple changed something that makes it harder to just change faces by swiping.

[frans]

@jk2gs

This feature should still work as I’m up to date on my iPhone. Check the settings on your phone under Apps for Remote as the first one where Remote needs to access the local network might have been turned off somehow:

Yes, it still works on my Phone and I have Local Network on. My phone still sees the Macs on my network and can still control them from my Phone. My issue is that the remote app on the watch has been removed or replaced. Before the update my watch also had the iTunes Remote with an icon like a play button. Now the watch only has the Apple TV Remote with an icon like the physical Apple TV remote. That remote only sees my Apple TV. Apple removed something from the Watch that I used a lot. Removing things for no reason is bad, Apple should stop doing that.

[ddmiller (Doug Miller)]

@frans

The issue I am facing is that the watch no longer DIRECTLY switches faces after a swipe, sometimes an app opens, seemingly one related to a complication on the face you are moving from.

I haven’t had that issue on watchOS 11 at all. A swipe always works for me. Long-press, swipe, and tap will always work, though.

I do have to say that my biggest pet peeve on watchOS, by far, relates to switching focus. I have a few scheduled focus switches during the day and when it happens the watch insists on showing me the notifications that happened when I wasn’t in the current focus, always when I am trying to do something else. I wish there was a way to turn this off. I’ll have to check watchOS 26 when it comes out.

[jk2gs]

Thanks for clarifying. I don’t have an Apple Watch as I still just use old school ones but I see that your issue is a problem. You have to wonder why Apple took that feature away. Maybe submit a report to Apple so they can bring it back.