For now, iOS 9.3 is available as a developer preview, meaning it’s not completely finished. There’s no word on when it will arrive on your iPhone or iPad just yet, but Apple typically releases a preview just a few months before the final version.
In the meantime, read up on the top new features below before they arrive.
Stay up late with your iPad
Researchers believe that blue light emitted by LED screens halts the production of melatonin, the hormone that tells our brains to sleep. Switching from bright white and blue undertones to warmer colors (like red, orange and yellow) is said to be easier on your eyes and allow your body to follow asleep naturally.
Apps like Flux and Twilight can already do this for your computer and Android phone. Before 9.3, you’d need to jailbreak your iOS device in order to alter the screen colors. Night Shift will be built into iOS 9.3 and let you customize the feature by changing the color temperature (cooler or warmer) and schedule it to run until sunrise.
News you’ll (probably) want to read
Apple tried to give us a one-stop shop for news last year with the News app. It’s getting more personal with 9.3, showing stories that are more tailored to your interests. You’ll see more articles the app thinks you want to read, plus suggested trending topics of news. The app will also get performance updates, so it’ll load faster and watch videos from the feed.
Lock up your notes
The humble Notes app gets some love with 9.3. You can now password protect your notes to keep important info safe from prying eyes. You’ll also be able to finally sort notes by date or title. Hardly revolutionary stuff, but it does make this simple app much more useful.
Apple really wants you to use the Health app
Still wondering how to use that Health app? Apple will now highlight third-party apps you can connect to this wellness dashboard to keep tabs on your workouts, weight and sleep quality. And if you have an Apple Watch, you’ll be able to see the movement data it collects from the Health app.
CarPlay gets better tunes
Apple’s in-car entertainment and navigation system CarPlay gets upgrades courtesy of Apple Music and Maps. You’ll get to browse suggested songs and artists in Apple Music before you head out. While you’re on the road, a new Nearby feature uses Maps to find food, fuel and other services.
Smart tools for teachers
iPads can be incredible teaching tools and now they get extra features to help them better fit into a classroom. The Classroom app helps teachers deliver lesson plans and track their student’s progress. Students can share a single iPad by logging in with different accounts to personalize what they see. Apple is also introducing Apple IDs for education that are created and managed by school administrators.
Everything else
iOS 9.3 adds many more smaller new features and improvements. On the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus, there are new 3D Touch shortcuts for the Weather, Settings, Health, App Store, iTunes Store and Compass apps. You can also duplicate photos in the Photos app, if you want to edit one copy and keep the original. Siri now supports Hebrew, Finish and Malay.
We’ll be checking out the iOS 9.3 beta to see all of the new features and keep you posted on when the update is available for all. Until then, check out all of our Apple coverage and the latest rumors on the next iPhone.
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