If you’re outside the United States and would like to enable advanced data protection, your wait is almost over. The expanded encryption feature will spread to the rest of the world with iOS 16.3, which will most likely be released next week after Apple pushed the release candidate to beta testers today.
iOS 16.3 isn’t a huge release, but it does bring a few notable features. In conjunction with watchOS 9.3, it will add the new Unity watch face in honor of Black History Month, when Apple features curated content across many of its services. There are a few other interesting new features, such as support for the new 2nd generation HomePod, which will be released on February 3, and a few new HomePod features for all users, such as remastered ambient sounds, a new Siri confirmation sound, and new audio tuning for spoken word content such as podcasts.
It also brings with it two expected fixes. One will fix anything causing horizontal lines to appear when some iPhone 14 devices reboot, and it should fix the Home app upgrade that was pulled back in December. According to the release notes, several other smaller features and fixes are also part of the update:
- New Unity wallpaper celebrates black history and culture in honor of Black History Month
- Apple ID security keys allow users to strengthen the security of their account by requiring a physical security key as part of the two-factor authentication sign-in process on new devices
- SOS emergency calls now require holding the side button with volume up or down and then releasing to avoid accidental emergency calls
- Resolves an issue in Freeform where some strokes created with Apple Pencil or your finger may not appear on shared boards
- Resolves an issue where the background appears black on the lock screen
- Resolves an issue where the Home Lock Screen widget does not accurately reflect the status of the Home app
- Fixes an issue where Siri may not respond correctly to music requests
- Resolves issues where Siri requests in CarPlay may not be understood correctly
The release candidate for iOS 16.3 was released to beta testers on January 18. Wide releases usually come around 10am PT on a Tuesday or Wednesday, so look for the final release to be available on January 24 or 25.
