Apple just released iOS 11.3 — here's what's new in the massive iPhone update

The update includes four new Animoji, more immersive augmented reality features, and a new feature that lets you check your phone's battery capacity.

  • Apple on Thursday released iOS 11.3, an updated version of its smartphone operating system.
  • The update includes four new Animoji, more immersive augmented reality features, and a beta version of iPhone Battery Health, which lets you check the health of your iPhone's battery.

The iOS 11.3 update includes new features like improved augmented reality, new Animoji (if you have an iPhone X), and a beta version of iPhone Battery Health, which lets you see information about your iPhone's battery capacity and performance.


Apple added the battery health feature after it was revealed that Apple was intentionally slowing down iPhones with older batteries without disclosing the practice to customers.

To download the latest update, go to Settings > General > Software Update.


*ARKit 1.5 allows developers to place digital objects on vertical surfaces like walls and doors in addition to horizontal surfaces

*Adds support for detecting and incorporating images like movie posters or artwork into AR experiences

*Supports a higher resolution real world camera view when using AR experiences

iPhone Battery Health (Beta)

*Displays information on iPhone maximum battery capacity and peak performance capability

*Indicates if the performance management feature that dynamically manages maximum performance to prevent unexpected shutdowns is on and includes the option to disable it

*Recommends if a battery needs to be replaced

iPad charge management

Maintains battery health when iPad is connected to power for prolonged periods of time, such as when it is used in kiosks, point of sale systems, or stored in charging carts

Animoji

Introduces four new Animoji on iPhone X: lion, bear, dragon and skull

Privacy

When an Apple feature asks to use your personal information, an icon now appears along with a link to detailed information explaining how your data will be used and protected

Apple Music

*Features a new music video experience, including an updated Music Videos section with exclusive video playlists

*Find friends that have similar tastes using updated suggestions in Apple Music that reveal genres people enjoy and mutual friends that follow them

News

Top Stories now always appear first in For You
Watch Top Videos curated by News editors

Safari

-Helps protect privacy by only AutoFilling usernames and passwords after selecting them in a web form field

-Includes warnings in the Smart Search Field when interacting with password or credit card forms on non-encrypted web pages

*AutoFill for usernames and passwords is now available in web views within apps


*Articles shared to Mail from Safari are now formatted using Reader mode by default when Reader is available

*Folders in Favorites now show icons for the bookmarks contained within

Keyboards

*Adds two new Shuangpin keyboard layouts

*Adds support for connected hardware keyboards using the Turkish F keyboard layout

*Improves Chinese and Japanese keyboards for better reachability on 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch devices

*Enables switching back to the keyboard after dictation with just one tap

*Fixes an issue on iPad Pro that prevented the iPad Smart Keyboard from working after connecting to a captive Wi-Fi access point

*Fixes an issue that could cause the Thai keyboard to incorrectly switch to the numeric layout when in landscape mode

Health Records (Beta) - US only

Access health records and view lab results, immunizations, and more in a consolidated timeline in the Health app

Business Chat (Beta) - US only

Communicate with companies to easily ask questions, schedule appointments, and make purchases inside the built-in Messages app on iPhone and iPad

Other improvements and fixes

*Introduces support for the AML standard which provides more accurate location data to emergency responders when SOS is triggered (in supported countries)

*Adds support for software authentication as a new way for developers to create and enable HomeKit compatible accessories

*Podcasts now plays episodes with a single tap, and you can tap Details to learn more about each episode

*Improves performance of Handoff and Universal Clipboard when both devices are on the same Wi-Fi network

*Fixes an issue that could prevent incoming calls from waking the display

*Resolves an issue that prevented opening a web link in Messages

*Addresses an issue that could delay or prevent playback of Visual Voicemail

*Resolves an issue that prevented parents from using Face ID to approve Ask to Buy requests

*Resolves an issue that could cause time and notifications to disappear from the Lock Screen

*Fixes an issue in Weather where current weather conditions may not have been updated

*Addresses an issue that could prevent audio apps from playing in cars when the app was in the background

*App Store adds accessibility support for bold and large text for display customization

*Improves app switching on iPad for VoiceOver and Switch Control users

*Addresses an issue where VoiceOver incorrectly described Bluetooth status and badge icons

*Resolves an issue when using Live Listen that could distort audio playback




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