Apple is rolling out the fourth iOS 10.3 beta for developer testing on iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. The upcoming software update includes Find My AirPods support, CarPlay improvements, Apple’s new filesystem, and more. We’ll update and highlight any changes discovered below.
iOS 10.3 is currently only available in beta for registered developers and public beta testers. The public beta version of each update usually follows a few days after the developer version if not the same day.
iOS 10.3 is the first version to include Find My AirPods in the Find My iPhone app, Wi-Fi Calling for iCloud-connected devices for Verizon customers, and a new 32-bit alert that suggests iOS 11 could be 64-bit only.
Apple will also introduce a way for developers to reply to app reviews with iOS 10.3, and a new system-wide app review request feature will be added. iOS 10.3 also includes iCloud Analytics for the first time.
Here’s an overview of changes discovered so far:
- Find My AirPods added to Find My iPhone app
- Siri support for cricket scores from Indian Premier League and International Cricket Council
- Safari support for Reduced Motion preference
- Prominent user security section in Settings app
- iOS 10.3 uses new Apple File System (APFS) which may free up some space
- Podcasts app has a widget like Music app, same app design
- New system level way for developers to request app rating, opt out option in Settings
- CarPlay status bar has persistent quick access to media, communication, and travel apps for quick switching without accessing the Home screen
- CarPlay gains quick access to albums from songs in Music, new Up Next screen
- Weather data in Maps app now has 3D Touch forecast
You can see our hands-on with the first iOS 10.3 beta below:
- Learn More link on 32 bit app warning, new 32 bit app section in Settings
Today’s release follows one week after the previous beta which is sooner than beta 1 and beta 2. We’ll update with any changes found in iOS 10.3 beta 4.
The wall of shame. pic.twitter.com/vu9bnvn0DK
— Paul Haddad (@tapbot_paul) February 20, 2017
iOS 10.3 Beta 4 includes an restart message whenever a button is hit during the update installation process.
Fixed in this Release
Find My iPhone Find My iPhone now supports Location and Play Sound for AirPods. • Location and Play Sound should now work as expected • Play Sound emits a noise from the AirPods that reaches a high volume after a few seconds. Please remove both AirPods from your ears before testing this feature.
iCloud Analytics During setup, users should no longer reach the “iCloud Analytics” page if they have not yet signed in.
iCloud Backup Nightly backups should no longer fail with the error message “Some files were unavailable during the last backup.”
LAN Asset Cache LAN Asset Cache functionality should now work as expected.
Lightning Video Adapters Lightning video adapters should now work as expected.
Managed and Shared Devices • On managed devices, users should no longer be able to override the current iCloud Document Sync setting. • Shared iPad settings should now work as expected.
Xcode Simulator • The legacy iCloud button in Settings has been removed. iCloud settings are now available within the new Apple ID settings pane. • Scrolling in the Today View should no longer crash. • Attempting to enable iCloud Drive through the iCloud Drive app before the user is signed into iCloud should no longer cause Settings to crash.
