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Apple releases iOS 11.3 beta 4 for iPhone and iPad

Thirteen days after the third developer beta, Apple has released iOS 11.3 beta 4 for registered developers to test on iPhone and iPad. We’ll dig in to the new version and detail changes below.

New in iOS 11.3

Beta 1

  • 4 new Animoji on iPhone X: Lion, Skull, Bear, and Dragon
  • ARKit 1.5 with support for vertical surfaces like walls, irregular shaped surfaces like circular tables, support for auto-focus, and 50% higher resolution
  • Business Chat for iMessage in beta with Discover, Hilton, Lowe’s and Wells Fargo on board
  • Health Records in Health app automatically updated from select partners
  • More prominent music video features in Apple Music
  • HomeKit software authentication without chip certification
  • Advanced Mobile Location for sending your location to emergency services when calling from iPhone
  • Messages in iCloud
  • New privacy page during set up and a new Privacy icon in Settings (gray becomes blue)
  • Splash screen for Messages in the Cloud, backup can be disabled in Settings
  • iBooks is now just Books
  • App Store lists version number and update size on Updates screen
  • App Store following text size
  • Hello, Feedback app…
  • Apple TV shows up in Home app with tvOS 11.3, doesn’t work as hub for automation and remote access without tvOS 11.3 on iOS 11.3, AirPlay 2 also working 
  • New ‘Confirm with Side Button’ prompt for purchases on iPhone X

Beta 2

  • No iOS 11.3 beta 2 for iPod touch yet, Apple says a future beta will add support (possibly related to battery management)
  • Battery management settings now visible on certain iPhones (H/T Chris!)
    • The new section is found under Settings → Battery → Battery Health (Beta)
    • iOS details maximum battery capacity and peak performance capability
    • iPhones affected by performance throttling due to aging batteries should be able to disable throttling at the risk of experiencing unexpected shutdowns
    • As discovered by 9to5Mac’s Rambo, this text appears on affected batteries: Your battery’s health is significantly degraded. An Apple Authorized Service Provider can replace the battery to restore full performance and capacity.
    • Apple links to its battery explainer article for more information
  • New splash screen for App Store
  • Podcasts app now plays episodes with one tap, hyperlinks episode pages (H/T Ryan!)
  • Messages in iCloud now includes a confirmation dialogue when deleting message threads
  • VoLTE support for Vodafone contract customers in the UK (H/T Tom!)
  • iPod touch support returns with iOS 11.3 beta 3

Beta 3

  • No more signs of AirPlay 2 for now
  • iOS 11.3 beta no longer attempts to pair HomePods in stereo mode
  • Deleting Messages now have a finished warning dialogue (H/T Duy)

See our hands-on video with the original beta below:

New in Beta 4

  • Books no longer Books, reverted to iBooks

Notes and Known Issues

General

Resolved Issues

  • Devices should now be recognized by the host computer after updating a device to iOS 11.3 beta 4 and later.

Resolved Issues

  • iOS 11.3 beta 3 and later support iPod touch (6th generation).

Health

Resolved Issues

  • In beta 2 and later, Health Record accounts and data are properly synced to Health in iCloud. (35431094)

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Avatar for Zac Hall Zac Hall

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