Apple has just released the iOS 18.3 release candidate to developers and public beta testers, and with it comes an official look at the features and improvements included in the update.
New Features in iOS 18.3
While some of the changes were already known, there are also some lesser-known tweaks and bug fixes that users can expect when the update goes live.
Calendar Integration: Users can now add events to their Calendar directly from a poster or flyer, making it easier to stay organized when attending events.
Plant and Animal Identification: The update adds the ability to easily identify plants and animals through the camera, enhancing the device’s utility in everyday situations.
Visual Intelligence for iPhone 16 Models: iPhone 16 users will benefit from new Visual Intelligence features, which include:
Notification Summaries for iPhone 16 and iPhone 15 Pro Models: iOS 18.3 also brings tweaks to Notification Summaries, available on iPhone 16, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max models:
Lock Screen Management: Users can now manage their notification summaries directly from the Lock Screen, making it more convenient to control which notifications are grouped and how they are displayed.
Updated Notification Style: The style of summarized notifications has been updated to better distinguish them from other notifications. This is achieved by using italicized text and adding a glyph to the summary.
Temporary Limitation: Notification summaries for News & Entertainment apps are temporarily unavailable, but users who opt in will be able to access them again once the feature is restored.
Bug Fixes and Enhancements:
iOS 18.3 also addresses a number of bug fixes:
Calculator Fix: The Calculator app now repeats the last mathematical operation when you tap the equals sign again, making it easier to perform consecutive calculations.
Siri Keyboard Issue: The update resolves an issue where the keyboard might disappear when initiating a typed Siri request.
Apple Music Playback Fix: A bug that caused audio playback to continue even after closing the Apple Music app has been fixed.
Additional Information:
- Some features may not be available in all regions or on all Apple devices.
- For detailed security content information, users are encouraged to visit Apple’s official support page: Apple Software Updates Security Content.
The release candidate version of iOS 18.3 is the final version of the software, pending any additional bugs or issues.
The full public release is expected to coincide with the launch of iPadOS 18.3, macOS Sequoia 15.3, tvOS 18.3, visionOS 2.3, and watchOS 11.3, all of which are expected to be available next week.
