In a surprising move Apple has seeded iOS 8.3 beta to developers and it is now available for download. What makes this release particularly interesting is that iOS 8.2 is still in beta and the company is currently seeding the beta 5 of that version. iOS 8.2 since its first beta release has been rumored to get released around the time of Apple Watch’s release, which is going to launch in April of this year. The 8.2 version of the software is expected to bring Watch specific features among other improvements, however the release of iOS 8.3 at this time has surprised many.
Regular readers of iOSHacker would remember back in September we reported that we have received visits from devices running iOS 8.1, iOS 8.2, iOS 8.3 and iOS 9. What’s important here is that at that time none of these software versions were available publicly and it is just today that iOS 8.3 has been released to developers.
The iOS 8.3 beta, whose final release would be months away brings a few new features to the mobile operating system that includes a new wireless CarPlay feature for the iPhone. This new feature will allow iPhone users to connect their device to their CarPlay compatible car without needing the USB cable.
Apple has also added better compatibility for Google’s two-factor accounts allowing iOS users to sign into their accounts much more efficiently than before.
Another interesting addition in the iOS 8.3 beta is the addition of a new emoji picker that categorizes emojis, makes the list scrollable as well as adds option to support other styles of emojis.
If you are a registered developer then you can head to the developer center and download the update. It has been released for all models of iPhone, iPad and iPod touch that support iOS 8.
