Apple Officially Releases iOS 10.3

After a series of beta releases, today, Apple has finally released iOS 10.3 for iPhone and iPad to the public. After launching iOS 10 last September, Apple was relatively quick to follow up with iOS 10.1 in October and iOS 10.2 in December, but it ended up taking more than three months to finalize iOS 10.3.

The iOS 10.3 is the latest major version of Apple’s mobile operating system, which adds a series of new features, including one that makes it a bit easier to find a missing AirPod. The Find my iPhone app has been updated to allow users to track down a lost AirPod by reporting each earbud’s last known location. If in range, you can also have each earbud play a sound to help locate it, much like numerous Bluetooth trackers on the market.

In addition to the Find My AirPods functionality to the Find My iPhone app, iOS 10.3 also changes the animations that occur when opening and closing apps. It also adds weather forecasts to the Maps app and gives users the option to add a Podcasts widget in the panel where widgets go.

The latest version also includes expanded SiriKit support, which makes it easier to pay bills, schedule a ride-hailing service, and even check on the status of a pending payment. Other improvements include the new Apple File System (APFS) that could free up some space on your device, a revamped Apple ID profile screen in Settings, and minor UI changes to CarPlay.

Here are all the new additions included with iOS 10.3:

• The Find My iPhone app now includes Find My AirPods
• Reduced Motion is now supported in Safari for web apps
• SiriKit now includes the ability to support paying bills, schedule future ride-hailing rides, and check the status of payments
• CarPlay now has a dedicated shortcut to launch recently used apps
• CarPlay will now show EV charging locations
• Navigation improvements have arrived for conversations in the Mail app
• HomeKit now supports expanded switch accessories
• New 3D Touch Weather actions
• Spotlight Search now has a border
• The Podcasts app now officially has a widget similar to the Music app
• There is a new user security section in Settings
• Recent Apps Button in CarPlay
• App compatibility in Settings will show which apps on your iOS device are optimized to work properly on your device.

We will shortly cover about all the features included in iOS 10.3 in a follow-up article.

To install the newest software, iOS users simply need to go into Settings > General > Software Update and then follow the onscreen instructions from there.

In addition to iOS 10.3, Apple has released today watchOS 3.2 for Apple Watch and  tvOS 10.2 for Apple TV.