A Hands-On Walkthrough of the New Features in iOS 9.3 and tvOS 9.2

Apple yesterday surprised us with new betas of iOS 9.3, OS X 10.11.4, watchOS 2.2, and tvOS 9.2. Of those betas, iOS 9.3 and tvOS 9.2 introduce important new features to iOS devices and the fourth-generation Apple TV.

iOS 9.3 includes a new Night Shift mode that cuts down on blue light in the evening for better sleep, plus it introduces new Quick Actions for several stock apps and brings new features for News, Notes, Health, CarPlay, and more. A full walkthrough of what's new in iOS 9.3 is available in the video below.

Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.

tvOS 9.2 introduces features that have been sorely missing from the new Apple TV, including support for Bluetooth keyboards to make text entry a simpler process. It includes folders for organizing the Home screen much like one can do on an iOS device, and it introduces a new look for the Home screen, among other things. To see everything that's new in tvOS 9.2, make sure to watch our walkthrough video.

Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.

watchOS 2.2 and OS X 10.11.4 include less obvious under-the-hood updates, but both bring important new features. OS X 10.11.4 introduces support for locked notes, while watchOS 2.2, paired with iOS 9.3, allows the iPhone to connect to multiple Apple Watches.

There's no word on when we'll see the public releases of iOS 9.3, tvOS 9.2, OS X 10.11.4, and watchOS 2.2, but there's undoubtedly several weeks of testing left before the updates will launch. Ahead of these major releases, we will see the launch of iOS 9.2.1 and OS X 10.11.3, both of which are also in testing.

Related Roundup: Apple TV
Buyer's Guide: Apple TV (Don't Buy)

Popular Stories

AirPods Pro 3 Mock Feature

AirPods Pro 3 Just Months Away – Here's What We Know

Friday April 18, 2025 5:16 am PDT by
Despite being more than two years old, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 still dominate the premium wireless‑earbud space, thanks to a potent mix of top‑tier audio, class‑leading noise cancellation, and Apple's habit of delivering major new features through software updates. With AirPods Pro 3 widely expected to arrive in 2025, prospective buyers now face a familiar dilemma: snap up the proven...
iphone 17 air dummy unbox therapy

iPhone 17 Air's Extreme Thinness Demoed in New Video

Tuesday April 22, 2025 10:22 am PDT by
Apple plans to release an all-new super thin iPhone this year, debuting it alongside the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max. We've seen pictures of dummy models, cases, and renders with the design, but Lewis Hilsenteger of Unbox Therapy today showed off newer dummy models that give us a better idea of just how thin the "iPhone 17 Air" will be. The iPhone 17 Air is expected to be ...
ipad air windows 11 arm

M2 iPad Air Runs Windows 11 ARM via Emulation, Thanks to EU Rules

Tuesday April 22, 2025 5:01 am PDT by
A developer has demonstrated Windows 11 ARM running on an M2 iPad Air using emulation, which has become much easier since the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA) regulations came into effect. As spotted by Windows Latest, NTDev shared an instance of the emulation on social media and posted a video on YouTube (embedded below) demonstrating it in action. The achievement relies on new EU regulatory...
iphone 16 pro models 1

17 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 17

Thursday April 17, 2025 4:12 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you skipped the iPhone...
iOS 18

iOS 18.5 Includes Only a Few Changes So Far

Monday April 21, 2025 11:00 am PDT by
Apple seeded the third beta of iOS 18.5 to developers today, and so far the software update includes only a few minor changes. The changes are in the Mail and Settings apps. In the Mail app, you can now easily turn off contact photos directly within the app, by tapping on the circle with three dots in the top-right corner. In the Settings app, AppleCare+ coverage information is more...
iphone 17 pro majin bu sky blue

iPhone 17 Pro Allegedly Coming in Sky Blue Color Used for MacBook Air

Tuesday April 22, 2025 4:08 am PDT by
Apple will unveil the iPhone 17 Pro in a new Sky Blue color, the same color that debuted on the latest M4 MacBook Air models Apple released in March. That's according to the leaker Majin Bu. Concept mockup from Majin Bu Writing on his website, Bu claims that "sources close to the supply chain confirm that several iPhone 17 Pro prototypes have been made in various colors, with Sky Blue...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 13 New Features

Wednesday April 23, 2025 8:31 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...

Top Rated Comments

girafficorn Avatar
121 months ago
Users for iPad in school is great, but I want Users for iOS in general. For instance, when my daughter picks up my iPhone/iPad, she should be able to use Touch ID to unlock the device into HER User, which has restrictions enabled (no unlimited web access, no IAPs, etc), only certain apps visible (her games,) her notes, her photo album, etc. Then, if I use Touch ID on the device, it opens into MY User, with all of my settings (and administrative control over her User.)
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cableguy84 Avatar
121 months ago
Looking forward to night shift!
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
OSXme Avatar
121 months ago
PASSWORD PROTECTED NOTES! Finally, now do the same for Messenger App, and Settings App. Crossing fingers for iOS 10 to bring this
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nezr Avatar
121 months ago
Cooooooome oooon public beta!
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
arkmannj Avatar
121 months ago
I would sure like the multi-account features for home use. Hopefully Apple will expand the use to more than education.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Thunderhawks Avatar
121 months ago
9.3 should easily have been 9.0. Can't believe 3D touch is missing on so many apps in the original 9.0. Apple is getting so sloppy and just pushing out half-baked products.
Since you know NOTHING about the inner workings at Apple and how they arrive at their decision making of what to release when, your comment is at best uninformed.

You could go back to an IOS you liked or switch to Android. Or, leave Apple products altogether since they are half baked.

It would be better to bring up a few examples for half baked, instead of generically painting everything they do as bad.

I have my pet Apple peeves, but overall their products work great for me.
(And have been since 1984)

One thing that helps is not to expect a perfect world.
Maybe one has to be an old geezer like me without entitlement attitude to understand that.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)