Apple on Wednesday issued fifth betas of iOS 10.3, watchOS 3.2 and tvOS 10.2 to developers for testing purposes, just over one week after seeding the fourth betas.
iOS 10.3
iOS 10.3 is a major update, introducing several new features and changes to the iOS 10 operating system. The biggest new consumer-facing feature is “Find My AirPods,” which is designed to help AirPods owners locate a lost earphone. Find My AirPods records the last known location of when an AirPod was connected to an iOS device via Bluetooth and can play a sound on a lost AirPod.
Other notable changes in iOS 10.3 include:
- Apple File System
- iCloud Analytics opt-in feature
- Redesigned iCloud section, now at the top of the Settings app
- Siri and CarPlay improvements
- Reduce Motion for websites
- Settings toggle to disable in-app ratings and reviews
- Hourly forecast in Maps
- Navigation improvements for Mail’s Conversation View
- Easier typing on Chinese and Japanese keyboards
When iOS 10.3 ships to customers, app developers will be finally able to respond to customer reviews on the App Store in a way that is available for all customers to see.
watchOS 3.2
watchOS 3.2 brings Theater Mode to Apple Watch via a new toggle in Control Center which disables the Raise to Wake feature and mutes audible alerts.
According to Apple:
Theater Mode lets users quickly mute the sound on their Apple Watch and avoid waking the screen on wrist raise. Users still receive notifications (including haptics) while in Theater Mode, which they can view by tapping the screen or pressing the Digital Crown
tvOS 10.2
Aside from bug fixes and performance improvements, tvOS 10.2 updates scrolling behavior to help you navigate long lists faster than before. Simply do a large swipe on the remote, then swipe on the far right side to navigate specific indexes.
From release notes:
Scroll views with a lot of content now have a behavior that allows users to scroll through them much more quickly. Several large swipes of the Siri remote will automatically switch into this mode. Additionally, users can swipe on the far right side of the remote to navigate specific indexes. If you see any unexpected behavior in your applications from this feature, please file a bug report.
tvOS 10.2 also includes support for Apple’s Device Enrollment Program, Expanded Mobile Device Management, the VideoToolbox framework and the new Apple File System (also found in betas of iOS 10.3, watchOS 3.2 and macOS Sierra 10.12.4).
iOS and macOS are available for public testing via Apple’s Beta Software Program.