Apple has released the second iOS 9.3 preview beta for testers ahead of the big feature update’s general release. The release follows the first preview release of iOS 9.3 for developers, public beta testers, and a 1.1 update for developers that included an installation fix. iOS 9.3 includes plenty of changes including a new feature called Night Shift, Touch ID and secure passwords for Notes, new 3D Touch Quick Actions and peek and pop gestures for iPhone 6s users, and much more. We’ll check out the latest beta version of the upcoming release and highlight any changes below.
Night Shift works a lot like the popular Flux utility on the Mac, which changes the display color temperature between sunset and sunrise to make screen reading easier on the eyes and encourage falling asleep easier. This feature requires 64-bit devices.
iOS 9.3’s Notes app adds the ability to secure individual notes with one secure password plus Touch ID on compatible iPhones and iPads. Secure notes are only visible on iOS 9.3 and OS X 10.11.4 or later with no compatibility on iCloud on the web yet.
iPhone 6s and 6s Plus users can access additional 3D Touch shortcuts starting with the iOS 9.3 beta as well. Useful new shortcuts include quick access to battery, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and wallpaper options in the Settings app from the Home screen.
For CarPlay users, iOS 9.3 adds the full Apple Music experience with For You and New sections as well as Nearby in Maps. iOS 9.3 also includes a major new education initiative with multi-user support and much more.
For more on iOS 9.3 beta, check out our hands-on video:
Here’s what’s new:
Updated Control Center as previewed before with Night Shift toggle:
Night Shift settings reorganized between beta 1 and beta 2
New Media Library section within Privacy section in Settings
Wallpaper option removed from 3D Touch on Settings
Apple Watch app now shows current watch face, previous beta required multiple watches to access this feature