New iPhone Update Fixes a Few Bugs

This week iPhone users got a new update on their phones. Version 1.1.2 will be automatically installed as soon as a user connects his phone to iTunes. Unfortunately, there are no details of what changed with the new version – Apple only says the update includes “new features and bug fixes.”

In the past, updates have included thwarts against people seeking to unlock the iPhone so it can be used without a contract from AT&T, as well as the addition of Wi-Fi iTunes. Apple has also updated its iTunes software several times to get rid of workarounds for certain features. Most notably, the ability to add ringtones that were not purchased from iTunes was “fixed” last month with a new version of the software.

There are a few noticeable changes, mostly for international users. With the new version users can change the language to French, German or Italian and change the keyboard layout to English (UK), French, German and Italian.

Other smaller changes are also included with update 1.1.2. The phone’s battery charge now shows up in iTunes, next to the phone icon. Apple changed the sorting of ringtones, too; tones from Apple or applications like iToner now show up in a section labeled “Custom,” while ringtones that came with the phone are listed under “Standard.”

The widely reported TIFF exploit has also been fixed with this update. That bug patch is a bit of a mixed blessing for iPhone enthusiasts. While it fixes a critical security vulnerability with the way that the phone renders TIFF images, that flaw had been used by iPhone developers in the unauthorized Jailbreak software that is used to run third-party applications. The update makes it difficult for users of brand-new iPhones to install Jailbreak.

Apple has battled with some developers who have had to circumvent its security measures in order to get their software to run on the iPhone. Apple initially wanted to prevent all third-party code from running directly on its mobile device, but in recent months the company has promised to give developers a way to run their code on the iPhone. This software development kit will become available in February 2008.

Unauthorized software developers have already found a way to stay ahead of Apple’s latest software update.

Users with Jailbreak on their iPhone 1.1.1 systems are being told to first install an application called OktoPrep, according to a post on the Unofficial Apple Weblog. This allows them to update to 1.1.2 without compromising their ability to run unauthorized software on the device.