Following the release of iOS 11.2.5 that brings HomePod support, Apple has announced the preview of iOS 11.3 developer beta, which will be available later today. Apple has published a press release detailing the major software update that brings a number of big and small features to iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. With iOS 11.3 the most important change that Apple is going to bring to iOS is the battery health statistics feature that will allow users to see the health of their device’s battery.
In addition to battery health data the software will also make it possible for users to disable the infamous throttling or power management feature from Battery section of the Settings app. After throttling has been turned off iOS will no longer slow down device to improve battery life. However users will see unexpected shutdowns on the device.
iOS 11.3 will also bring four new Animoji to iPhone X including lion, bear, dragon and the skull Animoji. All of these will be available alongside the ones that are already there. Messages app will also gain the Business Chat feature that will allow business to communicate directly with their customers through the Messages app. Business Chat feature will allow users to chat with a service representative of a company, make purchases through Apple Pay and make appointments right from the Messages application.
For better and more powerful AR experience Apple will be releasing ARKit 1.5 to developers. New features that will be added to ARKit 1.5 include the ability for ARKit to recognize vertical surfaces like walls and doors and ability to map irregularly shaped surfaces more accurately. With the improved experience users will be able to point at signs, posters and artwork, and get real world AR experiences through those objects.
The Health Records feature has also been introduced in iOS 11.3 that will make it easier for users to see available medical data from different providers. If you are a patient at a participating medical institution you will be able to see your information from these institutions at one place. This includes notifications for lab results, conditions, medications and more.
Apple will be releasing the iOS 11.3 beta 1 for developers today. The public release of iOS 11.3 may occur in the month of February.
