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Apple releases iOS 9.3 public beta 3 with Night Shift, Touch ID Notes, & Verizon Wi-Fi Calling

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Apple has released the third iOS 9.3 public beta to non-developer testers today. iOS 9.3 public beta 3 follows this week’s third developer iOS 9.3 beta release as well. The latest beta cleans up issues introduced in the last version while adding some new features as well.

iOS 9.3, which is expected to be released to everyone next month, adds loads of new features for iPhones and iPads including Night Shift mode to change the display temperature for evening reading, Touch ID/secure passwords to protect Notes, new 3D Touch shortcuts on the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, enhancements to the Health and Activity apps, iCloud for iBooks PDF syncing, and much more.

Changes in iOS 9.3 beta 3 included:

  • Verizon Wi-Fi Calling
  • Fixed Control Center icons in landscape
  • Apple News settings in Sweden, possibly other countries (although no app)
  • Tweaked Night Shift explainer in Control Center
  • Tweaked Lock/Unlock toggle in Notes outside of the share sheet

Check out our initial hands-on video with the first iOS 9.3 beta below:

For CarPlay users, iOS 9.3 also adds the full Apple Music experience with For You and New sections as well as Nearby in Maps. iOS 9.3 also includes a major new education initiative with multi-user support and much more.

See our hands-on video of those new features below:

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Comments

  1. Travis - 8 years ago

    No, the public beta 3 does not fix the time not displaying on the home screen. It still is in this public beta.

  2. tomi2711 - 8 years ago

    Shouldn’t the night shift toggle in Control Center be one of the round ones? I’ve always associated the round ones (wifi, airplane mode etc) with iOS services and toggles, and the square ones (calc, flashlight, etc) with utilities.
    As night shift is a toggle of a iOS service, shouldn’t be grouped with the round icons?
    The “it doesn’t fit” excuse is unacceptable, usability and HCI principles are followed for a reason. Apple did invest lots of time and money in this, and was the differentiating factor vs. other software makers. Don’t they care anymore?

    • Robert Joshua Adams - 8 years ago

      I agree. It definitely put me off when I first installed the beta and seen it down there. If only Apple would just let the stop row scrollable or give users the option of which 5 to display.

    • o0smoothies0o - 8 years ago

      The worst part is that they give a quick menu option. It’s absolutely idiotic. It should simply be a toggle, not throwing up a menu every single time you tap it.

    • Caleb Jones - 8 years ago

      No, they don’t care any more. Uncle Tim is running the show and all he cares about is the stock price. Which ironically isn’t doing so hot. Any notion of design or beauty or even usability went out the window when Steve died. The button absolutely shouldn’t be there, and it should be blindingly obvious to Apple. Sigh. End Rant.

      • o0smoothies0o - 8 years ago

        That’s of course completely false but you can have your opinions.

  3. curtinji - 8 years ago

    I’m excited for the main release next month, especially for Verizon Wifi calling. I had it when I was on AT&T (just switched in December), and it was huge as for some reason our neighborhood in the city gets poor cell service. I have more of a general question, though, about wifi calling (on any network) vs. the signal boosters/micro cells that the wireless companies sell. (ex: http://www.verizonwireless.com/accessories/samsung-network-extender-scs-2u01/) Is one better than the other? Are they just two means to the same end? I’m not in the market for a microcell, to be honest, but I’m just more curious than anything.

    Thanks all!

    • raja777m - 8 years ago

      Usually Microcells should be provided for free, like my ATT did.
      On the other hand, “Is one better than the other?” I think Microcell has a limit of a few 10’s of feet, coverage, where as wifi calling works similar, outside your house/micro-cell range.

      https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT203032

      And it supports adding wifi calling for other devices, that are linked to your iCloud account, which is a nice feature, IMHO.

  4. Shawn (@oldblue910) - 8 years ago

    Public Beta 3 still doesn’t fix the Apple Pencil issues on the iPad Pro. You still can’t navigate the UI with it. All you can do is tap. You can’t scroll.

  5. Shawn (@oldblue910) - 8 years ago

    Also, it looks like Verizon Wi-Fi Calling is configured like AT&T’s, where it only engages if the signal drops below a certain level. It’s not on constantly like Sprint and T-Mobile. Further, it looks like Verizon hasn’t turned on iCloud Device Sharing like the other carriers have, so at least for the time being, you’ll have to have your iPhone nearby in order to make calls from your iPad or Mac. They can’t use your Verizon calling account via Wi-Fi yet. Hopefully that comes before the general 9.3 release.

    • curtinji - 8 years ago

      I was fine with this when I was on AT&T. Is it a noticeable difference on Sprint and T-Mobile with this always-on feature?

      • oldblue910 - 8 years ago

        There’s no difference in technical terms. Basically, all it means is that, if your iPhone has a Verizon or AT&T SIM, even if Wi-Fi calling is enabled on your iPhone, it’ll only make Wi-Fi calls if your cell signal is below a certain level, normally 120dBm. On Sprint and T-Mobile, the iPhone will always make calls via Wi-Fi as long as the feature is enabled in the phone settings. If you have Wi-Fi calling turned on, but the carrier indicator in the top left doesn’t read “VZW Wi-Fi” or “AT&T Wi-Fi,” it’s making calls over the cell network even if you have the setting turned on.

  6. Thomas Wesley Mauch - 8 years ago

    No nightshift on iPad Mini 1st Gen

  7. applewatch20152015 - 8 years ago

    So I’m running the 9.3 public beta on my 6S Plus. I have Verizon. Turned on the WiFi calling and tried to call a friend who also has Verizon (but is running the normal 9.2.1). The call wouldn’t even go through. Got some message about WiFi calling and the only way I could call him was to turn off WiFi calling. WTF.

  8. lilykiim - 8 years ago

    Will the fail 5.3 appear when I install this ios 9.3, because I just got my phone fixed by a third part..

  9. Wisnu Adam - 8 years ago

    where’s the personal hotspot and APN in IOS 9.3 Beta?

  10. moso22001 - 8 years ago

    Its very nice thanks

Author

Avatar for Zac Hall Zac Hall

Zac covers Apple news, hosts the 9to5Mac Happy Hour podcast, and created SpaceExplored.com.