After a lengthy beta test, Apple
has released iOS 8.3 to the public today. You can download and install
the update by going to Settings > General > Software Update. This
update includes several new features and design enhancements.
Some of the most anticipated features in iOS 8.3 are the new racially diverse emojis,
wireless CarPlay support and Messages app improvements. Apple said that
it has improved the performance for app launch, app responsiveness,
Messages, WiFi, Control Center, Safari tabs, third-party keyboards,
keyboard shortcuts and the simplified Chinese keyboard. Here is a
breakdown of some fixes that have been addressed in iOS 8.3:
WiFi / Bluetooth Fixes
A number of WiFi and Bluetooth fixes have been addressed in iOS 8.3.
The update fixes the issue where you are continuously asked to input
your login credentials. It also addresses the issue where some
devices disconnect intermittently from Wi-Fi networks. An issue that
causes hands-free phone calls to become disconnected has been fixed. And
the issue where audio playback could stop working with some Bluetooth
speakers has been fixed.
Orientation / Rotation Fixes
iOS 8.3 fixes several orientation and rotation features. The update
addresses an issue that prevents the screen from rotating back to
portrait after rotating to landscape. The update also fixes an issue
where the device orientation appears upside down after pulling the
iPhone 6 Plus from your pocket. And the issue of apps rotating
incorrectly after switching in the multitasking mode has been fixed.
Messages App Fixes
The Messages app has received a number of fixes. iOS 8.3 fixes an
issue that causes group messages to split sometimes. It fixes an issue
that sometimes removes the ability to forward or delete individual
messages. iOS 8.3 has added the ability to report junk messages from the
Messages app directly. And you can filter out iMessages that are not
sent by your contacts too.
Family Sharing
iOS 8.3 fixes a bug where certain apps would not launch or update on
your family members’ devices. It also fixes a bug that prevents family
members from being able to download certain apps for free. In the iOS
8.3 changelog, Apple said that it increased the reliability for “Ask to
Buy” notifications.
CarPlay Fixes
Apple has fixed CarPlay issues where Maps would come up as a black
screen or rotates incorrectly. There is also an issue that has been
fixed where the keyboard could appear on the screen when it is not
supposed to.
Apple has improved the reliability of installing and
updating many enterprise features in iOS 8.3. The time zone of the
Calendar events created in IBM
Notes have been fixed. iOS 8.3 fixes a problem that causes web clip
icons to become generic after restarting. An issue that causes the
unreliability of saved passwords for web proxies has been fixed.
Apple iOS 8.3 adds the ability to edit Exchange out-of-office messages
separately for external replies. In terms of Accessibility settings,
Apple fixes issues that caused Speak Screen, VoiceOver and the Braille
Screen Input to become unreliable under certain circumstances. The
iPhone 6 Plus now has italic and underline format options in the
landscape keyboard. And now you can remove shipping and billing addresses used with Apple Pay.
Siri Knows More Languages
Siri now has additional language and country
support. Here is a list of the additions: English (India, New Zealand),
Danish (Denmark), Dutch (Netherlands), Portuguese (Brazil), Russian
(Russia), Swedish (Sweden), Thai (Thailand) and Turkish (Turkey). Some
of the dictation languages that have been added are: Arabic (Saudi
Arabia, United Arab Emirates) and Hebrew (Israel).
New Emojis
I believe that the most interesting feature in iOS 8.3 is the
redesigned Emoji keyboard. You can now select from over 300 new
characters with many new skin tone options. The diversity in the
previous Emoji keyboard version was lacking because there was just
an Asian man wearing a gua pi mao cap and an Indian man wearing a
turban, but there were no black people represented. Apple also added
many more relationship- and gadget-related Emojis. For example, there
are now same-sex relationship Emojis like families with two mothers and
two fathers. Some of the gadget Emojis that have been added includes a
representation of the iPhone 6 and an Apple Watch (as a replacement to
the traditional watch). Emojis for 32 more country flags have also been
added to the keyboard. Here is what the new Emoji keyboard looks like:
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