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Apple releases iOS 9.3 beta 7 with Night Shift, Touch ID Notes, Verizon Wi-Fi Calling, more

Apple has released seventh iOS 9.3 pre-release beta for developers and public beta testers to ahead of its expected public release next week. Features include a new Night Shift mode that auto changes the display temperature, Touch ID- and password-protected items in the Notes app, new CarPlay features, expanded 3D Touch options on apps such as Settings, and more.

Beta 6 was released last week and was relatively small in the grand scheme of things.

Apple’s Health and Activity apps have also been upgraded with app recommendations, Apple Watch fitness data panels on the dashboard, a more detailed Workouts view, and more.

Furthermore, Verizon iPhones gain Wi-Fi Calling support, the built-in News app includes new enhancements, Apple Music doesn’t have to add playlists songs to My Music, multiple Apple Watches can be paired to a single iPhone, and much more. iCloud for iBooks also enables PDF syncing between iOS devices,

The update is rolling out to developers and public beta testers and comes in at 66.1MB.

If you notice changes, let us know in the comments.

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Comments

  1. taoprophet420 - 9 years ago

    More betas then we see between a new iOS at WWDC and September iPhone releases.

    • theagentmike - 9 years ago

      I agree they must really want this release to be as good as they can make it

      • rwoods716 - 9 years ago

        How exactly does releasing more beta iterations help them make it better? I mean, it doesn’t mean that they’re doing any more or less work internally.

      • jacosta45 - 9 years ago

        @rwoods716 the more betas that are released the more information Apple receives from beta testers the more they can be aware of and take care of before the official iOS release. More betas mean more chances for Apple to take care of as many things as they can before rolling it out publicly.

      • rnc - 9 years ago

        What you know?

        Probably, they are focusing on the new iPad features for schools, and therefore, they need a lot of betas to make sure it’s good to go live.

    • Doug Aalseth - 9 years ago

      I was thinking this was a lot of beta releases.

    • taoprophet420 - 9 years ago

      Maybe, they are getting more feedback on bugs with the Feedback app. The Feedback app should be a stock app on OS X and IOS.

      Could be a lot of betas, because they are testing new 9.7″ iPad, 4″ iPhone and new Watches.

      • alexandereiden - 9 years ago

        I disagree because there would be too many reports for Apple to read and respond to.

    • There have been more bugs introduced with 9 than in any other version in the history of iOS – there are still people with 9.2.x with largely unusable features/core apps so I’m sure Apple wants to make sure 9.3 is going to cover a large number of those.

      • nonyabiness - 9 years ago

        “There have been more bugs introduced with 9 than in any other version in the history of iOS – there are still people with 9.2.x with largely unusable features/core apps…”

        Unsubstantiated hyperbole if I’ve ever seen one.

    • Ken Humphlett - 9 years ago

      I wonder is it because of the Verizon Wi-Fi calling? That has to be solid. Does anyone have solid info on why so many betas?

  2. Mathias R. S. Sørensen - 9 years ago

    Quite a lot of betas, but if those can make the OS worth it, why not do it. :D

  3. Splisk (@Splisk) - 9 years ago

    Is it just me (6s+)? I get a visual glitch inside the update section. When you are downloading the new update with the phone vertical, rotate your screen horizontally, then rotate back vertical. The text is now enlarged and the link for beta/release notes trails off the right side of the screen.

    Nothing problematic here, but a glitch none the less.

  4. cerberusthewise - 9 years ago

    I don’t think I’ve ever seen a beta 7…

  5. applegetridofsimandjack - 9 years ago

    Dont repeat what the first betas introduced, only mention the new stuff

    • frikova - 9 years ago

      New stuff in a 7th beta? Yeah right.

  6. Emmanuel B (@manubrunel) - 9 years ago

    Don’t understand the interest on multiple Apple Watch with one iPhone… Multiple iPhone with one Apple Watch would be defintly more interesting if you’e got two phone lines (a business and a private one).

    • joannbendzsas - 9 years ago

      I have two Apple watched. One is on my left wrist for fitness and the other one is for everything else/

    • Greg Barbosa - 9 years ago

      Multiple Apple Watches could be as simple as iOS and watchOS developers needing multiple devices. It does feel like it’s a solution for a few, but I’m sure the few are happy.

  7. iSRS - 9 years ago

    Anyone else still missing the Wallpaper 3D Touch setting on iPhone 6s?

  8. They finally fixed the 3D Touch cursor glitch. Before this beta, I had issues navigating a text field using 3D Touch. If I used the cursor, then typed something, then tried to use the cursor again, it would fail. It was so frustrating, I remember submitting my first bug report back in 9.0 betas

    • jacosta45 - 9 years ago

      I thought I was the only one that experiences this!

  9. Alan Aurmont - 9 years ago

    Seriously, 9to5Mac, you don’t have to add “with Night Shift, Touch ID Notes, Verizon Wi-Fi Calling” to the headline every time there’s a new beta. The whole universe is already aware of “Night Shift, Touch ID Notes, Verizon Wi-Fi Calling”.

  10. vandiced - 9 years ago

    Has the music pausing bug when taking a picture and Live Photos is off been fixed? Has he issue with 3D Touch on keyboard to make the trackpad not getting activated been fixed? I reported those two back in October

  11. Eddy Lau - 9 years ago

    I had 2 problems with IOS 9.3 beta 6
    1> Personal Hotspot wouldn’t work properly. It show up a min, then disappear from my macbook.
    2> I go up to Canada every few months, and my 6s plus normally switch over to Roaming without a glitch. I am at about 98% “No Service” this time.

    Updating to Beta 7 now, and will see how that goes =D

  12. cuberonix - 9 years ago

    Still has not fixed the trackpad issue in messages on iPad. Right now you can only enable trackpad mode from the right side of the keyboard, placing two fingers on the left side does nothing.

  13. Jurgis Ŝalna - 9 years ago

    Is iPod fixed yet?

  14. I have been sending Feedback as much as I can, & have received bug fix emails for some stuff.

  15. Ben Johnson - 9 years ago

    Has anyone has success restoring a iCloud backup? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

  16. stevegsy - 9 years ago

    Maybe it’s just me but I’ve noticed that live photos are less blurry at start of animation when force touching. Still slow 3D touch animation in landscape mode. But generally finding everything a little more fluid.

  17. stefanvxr8 - 9 years ago

    I updated to beta 7 this morning (Australia), almost immediately the phone (iPhone 6) is running a lot hotter and battery consumption is appalling, you can actually watch the percentage drop over several minutes of use. However, on the iPad Pro, no issues like that noted so far.

  18. that there are two versions Build of iOS 9.3? 13E5233a and 13E5234a show on DevCenter?

  19. Santo Pietro - 9 years ago

    Fixed the issue when hiding apps from the purchase menu they do not reappear anymore when you hide them.

  20. thegayandchristian - 9 years ago

    Reachability is much faster in the 7th beta

  21. Italo Luna - 9 years ago

    There is so many betas because they are waiting for some person to release the jailbreak so that they can patch that. Making people wait for a Jailbreak isn’t funny Apple

  22. josephguite - 9 years ago

    How does one use Wi-Fi Calling on Verizon? I don’t see the option anywhere and I’m on iPhone 5s on 9.3 Beta 7.

  23. Honey Kaushal - 9 years ago

    check out ios 9.3 beta 7 full feature and tutorial video here: https://youtu.be/dMtvkEjemYQ

  24. anontvxpert - 9 years ago

    Hey gang — what is your build number for the 9.3 Beta 7? Is it 13E5233a?

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Avatar for Chance Miller Chance Miller

Chance is the editor-in-chief of 9to5Mac, overseeing the entire site’s operations. He also hosts the 9to5Mac Daily and 9to5Mac Happy Hour podcasts.

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