iOS 18.3: New features, release date, and more

Apple has officially started iOS 18.3 beta testing. The update brings some subtle changes for iPhone users. Here’s everything you need to know.

iOS 18.3 release date

Apple releases first beta version iOS 18.3 for developers December 16th.

• iOS 17.3 – January 22, 2023
• iOS 16.3 – January 23, 2023
• iOS 15.3 – January 26, 2022

What’s new in iOS 18.3?

While iOS 18.1 and iOS 18.2 are packed with new Apple Intelligence features and other big upgrades for iPhone users, iOS 18.3 is a smaller update.

Robot vacuum support

Based on code changes, iOS 18.3 adds support for sweeping robots In Home App. This will allow users to add their smart vacuum cleaners to HomeKit and control them through Siri, automation, and more.

Here’s what Apple has to say about support for robot vacuums in the Home app:

The Home app now supports core functions of the robot vacuum, such as power control, cleaning mode, vacuuming, mopping, and charging status. They can also participate in automations and scenarios, and respond to Siri requests. So you can add them to your cleaning routine or tell Siri to do some spot cleaning in your living room.

We’re still waiting for more details from the companies that actually make the robot vacuums and their plans to support HomeKit integration. However, so far it seems clear that iOS 18.3 will lay the groundwork for eventual HomeKit support.

bug fixes

According to Apple’s release notes, iOS 18.3 fixes two Apple Intelligence bugs:

• Fix: Personalized Genmoji might not be generated without selecting a different person first.
• Fix: For third-party apps using the Writing Tools API on iOS, the full inline experience will not be available if the first responder is not a UIView.

small changes

• The Image Playground app icon has a very small change, e.g. Aaron Perris on X.
• Now you can use Face ID or Touch ID to log in to the Rewards app without having to enter a password every time.
• The camera control menu icon in the accessibility page of Settings now supports dark mode.

iOS 18.3 Summary

It’s certainly possible that Apple will add more features to iOS 18.3 as the beta testing process continues. However, our current expectation is that the next major Apple Intelligence feature won’t be released until iOS 18.4.

Have you discovered anything new in iOS 18.3 so far? Let us know in the comments. We’ll have more coverage on the update as more betas are released over the next six months.

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