5 Things to Know About iOS 12.5 Update

Apple has released an iOS 12.5 update, and the software is available for iPhone and iPad models that haven’t upgraded to iOS 13, iPadOS 13, iOS 14, or iPadOS 14.

iOS 12.5 is a landmark update (xx), but a minor upgrade for the iPhone 5s, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, original iPad Air, iPad mini 2, iPad mini 3 and iPod touch sixth generation.

If your iPhone or iPad is currently running iOS 12.4.9, you’ll see a short changelog and a small download. If your iPhone or iPad is running an older version of iOS 12, your iOS 12.5 update may be larger because the changes from the updates you skipped are added to your iOS 12.5 version.

With that in mind, we want to bring you the most important things you need to know about Apple’s new iOS 12.5 update for iPhone and iPad.

Our guide covers the performance of the iOS 12.5 update, the current status of iOS 12 issues, where to find feedback on the performance of iOS 12.5, the iOS 12.5 jailbreak status, and more.

We’ll start with some quick impressions of iOS 12.5’s performance.

iOS 12.5 Review

If you’re migrating your iPad or iPhone from iOS 12.4.9 to iOS 12.5, iOS 12.5 requires a fairly minor download. If you’re running an older version of iOS 12, your iOS 12.5 download may still be larger.

If you’re currently running iOS 12.4.9, iOS 12.5 should take less than 10 minutes to install. It took about seven minutes to load on an iPhone 5s.

For more information on downloading and installing iOS 12.5, take a look at our guide.

We’ve been using the iOS 12.5 update for a few days now and so far we’ve noticed this about the software’s performance:

If you’re experiencing bugs or performance issues on iOS 12.4.9 or an older version of iOS 12, you’ll probably want to install the iOS 12.5 update on your device right now.

If you need help making a decision, see our reasons for and not installing the iOS 12.5 update on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.

We’ve published our mini iOS 12.5 reviews for the iPhone 6s and iPhone 5s, so check these recaps for additional feedback if you need it.

iOS 12.5 Issues

iOS 12.5 is a minor upgrade, but it can have a huge impact on your device’s performance.

We’ve been hearing about various issues including setup issues, weird battery drain, connectivity issues (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS), issues with first- and third-party apps, an abnormal amount of lag, random reboots, and more.

If you run into an issue with iOS 12.5, check out our fix list for the most common iOS 12 issues. We’ve also posted tips to help improve performance and tips to help improve iOS 12 battery life.

If you are tired of the performance of iOS 12.5 on your iPhone or iPad, remember that you can upgrade to iOS 12.4.9. Apple is currently signing the firmware.

Apple does not sign in on older versions of iOS 12. This means that once you migrate your iPhone or iPad to iOS 12.5, you cannot revert to anything older than iOS 12.4.9.

Keep this in mind before starting the installation.

iOS 12.5 Update: What’s New

Brings support for iOS 12.5 update COVID-19 exposure notifications. This is a huge change and it means:

iOS 12.5 also includes a security patch that you can read about. Apple’s security website.

iOS 12.5 Jailbreak

You can jailbreak newer versions of iOS 12, but it’s currently unclear whether you can jailbreak iOS 12.5.

Developers”unc0verThe jailbreaking tool for iOS has released a new version 5.0.0, which is compatible with iOS 13.5 and most iOS versions from iOS 13.5 to iOS 11.0.

The jailbreak tool is not compatible with iOS 12.3-12.3.2 and iOS 12.4.2-12.4.5. So if you want to stick with one of these versions, you’ll have to go the other way.

For now, you’ll want to stay open no matter what version of iOS you’re currently running on your devices.

what’s next

We don’t know what’s next for iOS 12 users.

Apple has not confirmed iOS 12.5.1, and there is no guarantee that the company will continue to offer new software to owners of these devices in the coming months.

If you decide you want the latest features, you’ll need to upgrade to an iPhone or iPad compatible with iOS 13/iOS 14 or iPadOS 13/iPadOS 14.

For more information on iOS 14, take a look at our walkthrough. For more information on iPadOS 14, check out our guide.

Last update is 2022-02-26. This post may contain affiliate links. Click here to read our disclosure policy for more details. Images via Amazon API