iOS 11.3: Power management, better AR, new Animoji, and more
Hot on the heels of iOS 11.2.5, which brought HomePod support, Siri news, and a fix for the Messages text bomb, Apple has pulled the proverbial black curtain off iOS 11.3. And it’s going to have some pretty cool features on board, including the one we’ve all been waiting for: a toggle for CPU throttling on phones old batteries.
Here's everything you need to know about what's in iOS 11.3, when it's coming, and how to install the beta.
What's in iOS 11.3?
Battery and Performance
As promised, Apple will bring some much-needed power management to the battery settings in iOS 11.3. Apple says users will now be able to see their overall battery health, and will recommend if it needs to be serviced. You will also be told if your battery is triggering a chip slowdown, and can choose to turn that feature off. The switch will only be available for iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone SE, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus.
iCloud Messages
One of iOS 11's most exciting promised features may finally land in iOS 11.3. The first developer beta includes the ability to opt in to Messages on iCloud. This stores all your Messages in iCloud, freeing up space on your device and keeping everything in sync between all your iOS and macOS devices. Sign into a new device and see your whole Messages history right away. Delete a message on one device and it's gone everywhere. Finally!
ARKit 1.5
Apple is also upping its AR game in iOS 11.3 with ARKit 1.5, bringing, “even more immersive AR experiences that better integrate with the world and giving them the tools to power a new generation of AR apps.” Apple says that the new ARKit will be able to recognize and place virtual objects on vertical surfaces such as walls and doors, as well as map non-square surfaces such as circular tables.
Tim Cook has been a huge proponent of AR, and just yesterday told the Financial Post that “AR is the most profound technology of the future,” Cook said in an interview. “It amplifies human performance. It amplifies humans, not substitutes, and doesn’t isolate. I’m a huge believer in it.”
Animoji
AppleiPhone X users will get four new Animoji in iOS 11.3.
iPhone X users will also get four new Animoji to play with: a lion, bear, dragon, and skull.
Business chat
Apple will add a new feature to Messages called Business Chat that will let users communicate directly with businesses, including Discover, Hilton, Lowe's, and Wells Fargo. Apple says customers will be able to schedule service appointments or make purchases without sharing contact information.
Health Records
iOS 11.3 will also feature a new Health Records app that aims to streamline patients’ medical data across health-care providers. According to Apple, the passcode-protected app will collect health data from various institutions and organize the it into a single view, including notifications for lab results, medications, conditions.
AppleA new Health Records app and Business Chat in Messages are among the new additions to iOS 11.3.
Videos in Music and News
Among the other additions in iOS 11.3 will be music videos inside Apple Music and news video clips inside Apple News. We don't yet know how this will impact navigation in these apps.
HomeKit and AML
Apple is highlighting HomeKit software authentication (a feature it first talked about last year), which removes a big barrier for smart home gadget makers. They used to have to include a special secure authentication chip in their products to support HomeKit, but no longer.
Apple will also support Advanced Mobile Location (AML). This is a feature used primarily across Europe that will automatically turn on location services and text your location to emergency responders when you call emergency services. It has been supported on Android since 2016 and already has some high-profile success stories, so it's good to see Apple jumping on board.
When will iOS 11.3 be released?
Apple rarely gives exact release dates for iOS point releases, but has given a general time frame of "this spring." So far, only the first beta has been released to developers, not the general public. Given the features in this release, we expect at least four or five beta releases, possibly many more. We doubt iOS 11.3 will release before March.
How can I get it?
If you're a developer, you can get the developer releases from the Apple Developer site.
If you're a regular user and want to join the beta test, you'll need to head to beta.apple.com on the device you want to run the beta on. You can enroll there, and download a special profile that will allow your device to download the beta releases. After that, new beta releases will be delivered just as regular iOS updates are: you'll get a notification when one is ready, and can check manually by going to Settings > General > Software Update.