Apple Releases iOS 14.2.1 With iPhone 12 Mini Lock Screen Fix

Apple has pushed out iOS 14.2.1, addressing a number of bugs in the latest release but, most important, fixing a display problem some iPhone 12 mini owners had reported. The glitch was identified earlier this week with the new, smallest iPhone, where the lock screen could sometimes become unresponsive to taps and swipes.

Chatter of a software fix being able to address the problem broke a little later, with an internal Apple document leaking with details of its response to authorized service providers. That suggested an iOS update could fix the temperamental touchscreen, rather than a hardware swap being required.

Sure enough, along comes iOS 14.2.1 today, and on the list of changes there's a welcome patch for the iPhone 12 mini lock screen issue. We'll have to wait to see if those experiencing the problem actually find it's sorted after installing the 171 MB update. Our own iPhone 12 mini review unit didn't exhibit the glitch.

Other changes in iOS 14.2.1 include a fix for an MMS problem that some users were seeing, where the messages were not being received. Apple has also tweaked how Made for iPhone hearing devices perform, solving quality issues that had been reported when listening to audio from an iPhone.

It's a reminder that, while early glitches can be fairly commonplace with a new phone launch, there's a surprising amount that can be adjusted and patched with software rather than hardware changes. Earlier this year, for example, some iPhone owners reported odd green tints to their displays, which Apple blamed on a thermal management issue. iOS 13.6.1 was released to fix that.

You can install iOS 14.2.1 by heading into the iOS Settings, choosing General, and then Software Update.