iOS 9.3

Although more prominent features like Night Shift and a few new Quick Actions are getting the spotlight with the launch of iOS 9.3, one new lesser-known update is definitely worth checking out. In iOS 9.3, Apple has improved the functionality of its first-party Notes app with the ability to add password or Touch ID security for individual notes. The feature allows users to prevent access to...

Ahead of new software releases for iOS devices, Apple provides early copies to both developers and public beta testers to work out bugs and refine features. Major updates often include exciting new additions that people are eager to try out right away, such as iOS 9.3's Night Shift Mode and all of its other new features. If you want to get your hands on iOS 9.3 ahead of its prospective spring...

Night Shift, a major new feature iOS 9.3, is a display-based setting that lets you "warm up" an iPhone or iPad's screen at night to cut down on blue light exposure. Similar to f.lux on the Mac, Night Shift will automatically change the color temperature of an iOS device's display to reflect the time of day. With Night Shift, an iPhone or iPad screen will look bright white with a blue-based...

As of today, Apple has stopped signing iOS 9.2.1 for compatible iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch models, meaning users can no longer upgrade or downgrade to that version of iOS using iTunes. Apple is now signing iOS 9.3 and iOS 9.3.1 only. iOS 9.3 was released to the public on March 21, and iOS 9.3.1 was released 10 days later on March 31. iOS 9.3 has suffered from several bugs since it was...

A Siri vulnerability that allowed access to a user's photos and contacts on a locked iPhone running iOS 9.3.1 was patched server-side this afternoon by Apple. Shared last night by Jose Rodriguez, the vulnerability used Siri's ability to access Twitter to find an email link or phone number, which could be pressed to open up an editable list of contacts even on a device that was locked. Through...

Since the launch of iOS 9.3 last week, some Sprint users have been unable to connect to LTE networks, according to reports on Twitter and reddit. After updating, affected users say their iPhones will only connect 3G, and there appears to be no clear fix with resets and reinstalls not solving the problem for most people. According to one reddit user in California, he's having issues when his...

Despite its much-publicized problems, Apple's iOS 9.3 is showing a lower crash rate than all active iOS builds, an app analytics firm reported yesterday (via AppleInsider). According to California-based Apteligent, over the past eight days iOS 9.3 has had a crash rate of only 2.2 percent, making it the most stable iOS release in circulation. Apple's new iOS also beat the latest version of...

Apple has confirmed that it is aware of an issue causing web links to crash in multiple iOS apps like Safari, Mail, and Messages, reports TechCrunch. Following multiple complaints about the bug over the past few days, Apple says it is working on a fix that will be released "soon" via a software update. Shortly after the release of iOS 9.3, iPhone and iPad users began complaining about a bug...

Just a few days after releasing the iOS 9.3 update, Apple stopped offering it to a selection of older devices including the iPad Air and earlier and the iPhone 5s and earlier due to an activation issue. When the update was pulled, Apple promised to release a new version of iOS 9.3 shortly. Apple today made good on that promise and has released a new version of iOS 9.3, build 13E237, which is...

A significant number of iPhone and iPad users on the MacRumors discussion forums, Apple Support Communities, and Twitter have reported an apparent iOS bug that causes Safari, Mail, Messages, Notes, Chrome, and select other preinstalled and third-party apps to crash or freeze after tapping or long-pressing on web links. The issue has grown wider since iOS 9.3 was publicly released last week,...

Last night, Apple released a new build of iOS 9.3 (13E236) designed specifically for the GSM iPad 2, addressing an issue that prevented the GSM iPad 2 from accessing Apple's activation servers. After downloading iOS 9.3, some iPad 2 users received the following message: "Your iPad could not be activated because the activation service is temporarily unavailable," a problem the update aims to fix. ...

Apple has temporarily stopped offering the iOS 9.3 update for older devices like the iPad Air and earlier and the iPhone 5s and earlier due to installation issues some users have experienced. On older devices, iOS 9.3 requires users to input the Apple ID and password originally used to set up the device, which can lead to the device becoming stuck at the Activation Lock screen if the original...

Apple today released iOS 9.3 to the public, marking the third significant update to the iOS 9 operating system since it launched in September of 2015. iOS 9.3 has been in testing since January 11 with new features, refinements, and bug fixes added throughout the beta testing period. iOS 9.3 is available immediately to all iOS 9 users as an over-the-air update. It can also be downloaded through ...

Apple today seeded the seventh beta of an upcoming iOS 9.3 update to developers and public beta testers for testing purposes, one week after seeding the sixth iOS 9.3 beta and more than three months after the public release of iOS 9.2, the last major update to iOS 9. iOS 9.3 has been in testing since January 11. The seventh iOS 9.3 beta is available as an over-the-air update and through the...

Apple today seeded the sixth beta of an upcoming iOS 9.3 update to developers and public beta testers for testing purposes, less than a week after seeding the fifth iOS 9.3 beta and three months after the public release of iOS 9.2, the last major update to iOS 9. iOS 9.3 has been in testing since January 11. The sixth iOS 9.3 beta, build 13E5231a, is available as an over-the-air update and...

Apple has made some changes to Night Shift in iOS 9.3 betas 4 and 5. The most notable change is the disabling of the feature when in Low Power Mode. The toggle switch in both the Night Shift settings and Control Center are now grayed out in Low Power Mode. The new change has generated some complaints since it seems that users will want to use both features in the evening hours. Night ...

Apple today seeded the fifth beta of an upcoming iOS 9.3 update to developers and public beta testers for testing purposes, just over a week after seeding the fourth iOS 9.3 beta and three months after the public release of iOS 9.2, the last major update to iOS 9. iOS 9.3 has been in testing since January 11. The fifth iOS 9.3 beta is available as an over-the-air update and through the iOS...

The most recent beta of iOS 9.3, provided to developers and public beta testers earlier this week, fixes a bug that caused 64-bit iPhones and iPads to be disabled or "bricked" when the date was set to January 1, 1970. Discovered in mid-February, the "1970" bug occurs whenever an iOS device's date is manually set to 1970, resulting in a continuous reboot cycle. Speculation has suggested the...

Apple today seeded the fourth beta of an upcoming iOS 9.3 update to public beta testers, just a day after seeding the fourth iOS 9.3 beta to developers. iOS 9.3's fourth public beta comes more than a month after Apple released iOS 9.2.1, a minor update, to the public. Beta testers who have signed up for Apple's beta testing program will receive the fourth iOS 9.3 update over-the-air after...

Apple today seeded the fourth beta of an upcoming iOS 9.3 update to developers for testing purposes, two weeks after seeding the third iOS 9.3 beta and more than two months after the public release of iOS 9.2, the last major update to iOS 9. iOS 9.3 has been in testing since January 11. The fourth iOS 9.3 beta is available as an over-the-air update and through the iOS section of the Apple...

Apple today released the third beta of an upcoming iOS 9.3 update to public beta testers, just a couple of days after seeding the third iOS 9.3 beta to developers. iOS 9.3's third public beta comes three weeks after Apple released iOS 9.2.1, a minor update, to the public. Beta testers who have signed up for Apple's beta testing program will receive the third iOS 9.3 update over-the-air after...

Apple today seeded the third beta of an upcoming iOS 9.3 update to developers for testing purposes, two weeks after seeding the second iOS 9.3 beta and two months after the public release of iOS 9.2. iOS 9.3 has been in testing since January 11. The third iOS 9.3 beta is available as an over-the-air update and through the iOS section of the Apple Developer Center. As a major .1 update to...

Apple today released the second beta of an upcoming iOS 9.3 update for public beta testers, just a few days after seeding the second iOS 9.3 beta to developers. iOS 9.3's second public beta comes a week after Apple released iOS 9.2.1, a minor update, to the public. Beta testers who have signed up for Apple's beta testing program will receive the second iOS 9.3 update over-the-air after...