That new iOS 11.3 beta from Monday? It’s already out of date. In a special Friday release, Apple has seeded iOS 11.3 beta 6 to registered developers to test on iPhone and iPad. We’ll dig in to the new version and detail any changes below. (Update: iOS 11.3 beta 6 is also now available for public beta testers too.)

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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)

Beta 4

• Books no longer Books, reverted to iBooks
• Devices should now be recognized by the host computer after updating a device to iOS 11.3 beta 4 and later.
• iOS 11.3 beta 3 and later support iPod touch (6th generation).
• In beta 2 and later, Health Record accounts and data are properly synced to Health in iCloud. (35431094)

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

New in Beta 6

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