If you are outside of the United States and have been itching to turn on Advanced Data Protection, your wait is almost over. The enhanced encryption feature will roll out to the rest of the world with iOS 16.3, which will most likely arrive next week after Apple released the release candidate to beta testers today.
iOS 16.3 is not a huge release, but it does bring some notable features. Along with watchOS 9.3, it will add the new Unity watch face to celebrate Black History Month, when Apple highlights curated content across many of its services. There are some other cool new features, like support for the new 2nd-generation HomePod, which is coming on February 3, and some new HomePod features for all users, like remastered ambient sounds, a new Siri confirmation sound, and new audio tuning for spoken word content like podcasts.
It will also bring two early fixes. One will fix whatever causes horizontal lines to appear when some iPhone 14 devices reboot, and should restore the Home app update that was pulled back in December. According to the release notes, several other smaller features and fixes are also part of the update:
- Unity’s new wallpaper pays tribute to black history and culture in celebration of Black History Month
- Apple ID Security Keys allow users to strengthen their account security by requiring a physical security key as part of the two-factor authentication sign-in process on new devices.
- SOS emergency calls now require pressing and holding the side button with the volume up or down button and then releasing it to avoid inadvertent emergency calls.
- Fixes an issue in Freeform where some drawing strokes created with Apple Pencil or your finger might not appear on shared boards
- Fixes an issue where the wallpaper may appear black on the lock screen
- Fixes an issue where the Home lock screen widget does not accurately display 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 iOS 16.3 build candidate was released to beta testers on January 18. Wide releases usually arrive around 10am PT on a Tuesday or Wednesday, so expect the final release to be available on January 24 or 25.
