Though the iPhone is often thought of as a pioneer smartphone, the defining feature of smartphones–the ability to install third-party apps–was actually added in iOS 2. This feature, along with the many other abilities and apps that make up the iPhone’s basic operations, are collectively known as the iPhone’s firmware, and come installed on every model of the device.

Firmware Definition

Many electronic devices, from modems to cell phones, contain chips with operating software written on them. Known as firmware, this software controls the device’s basic operations. On an iPhone, firmware refers to the phone’s operating system, iOS. The iOS operating system contains all of the iPhone’s pre-installed apps, such as Mail, Safari and Notes, as well as the phone’s internal programming which controls processes such as booting and connecting to the cellular network.

What’s New:

iOS 15.6 includes enhancements, bug fixes and security updates.

• TV app adds the option to restart a live sports game already in-progress and pause, rewind, or fast-forward
• Fixes an issue where Settings may continue to display that device storage is full even if it is available
• Fixes an issue that may cause braille devices to slow down or stop responding when navigating text in Mail
• Fixes an issue in Safari where a tab may revert back to a previous page

This release also includes the following enhancements for your iPhone:

• Safari webpage translation adds support for Italian and Chinese (Traditional)
• Podcasts app adds episode filters for seasons, played, unplayed, saved, or downloaded episodes
• iCloud custom email domains can be managed from Settings
• News offers enhanced discovery of audio content in the Today feed and Audio tab
• Camera in keyboard can be used to add text to Notes and Reminders
• Shortcuts now supports adding, removing, or querying tags with Reminders
• Emergency SOS settings have changed to use Call with Hold for all users. Call with 5 Presses is still available as an option in Emergency SOS settings
• Close-up in Magnifier uses the ultra-wide camera on iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max to help you see small objects
• Saved passwords can now include your own notes in Settings

Updating iPhone Firmware

All models of iPhone feature firmware that users can update via iTunes on the computer. After connecting the iPhone to the computer, select the phone in the iTunes menu and click “Check for Updates” to update the iPhone firmware. IPhones already running iOS 5 or newer can also update directly without need of a computer through the “Software Update” option found under “General” in the Settings app. This method requires a battery at least half full and a Wi-Fi connection.

CarPlay

• Enhanced city map in Apple Maps with road details like turn lanes, medians, bike lanes, and pedestrian crosswalks for supported cities
• This release also includes the following enhancements for your iPhone:
• Hide My Email is available in the Mail app for iCloud+ subscribers to create unique, random email addresses
• Find My can locate iPhone for up to five hours when in Power Reserve
• Stocks allows you to view the currency for a ticker and see year-to-date performance when viewing charts
• Reminders and Notes now allow you to delete or rename tags
• This release also includes bug fixes for your iPhone:
• Siri may not respond while VoiceOver is running and iPhone is locked
• ProRAW photos may appear overexposed when viewing in third-party photo editing apps
• HomeKit scenes that include a garage door may not run from CarPlay when your iPhone is locked
• CarPlay may not update Now Playing information for certain apps
• Video streaming apps may not load content on iPhone 13 models
• Calendar events may appear on the wrong day for Microsoft Exchange users