iOS 9.3 is the biggest incremental iPhone and iPad update in several years, as Apple has new software features that go as far as changing your sleeping habits.
It has the long-sought-after iPhone Night Shift feature, along with plenty of other useful features are here like- multi-user support for students, Apple Notes locked behind a password (or Touch ID) and tweaked News, Health and Apple CarPlay apps. Check them out.
- Night Shift
Night Shift in iOS 9.3 uses the clock and geolocation to determine the sunset, and the screen becomes progressively more orange-tinted throughout the night, exactly like f.lux on Macs and Reader's Edition on Amazon Kindle HD 8.
The completely optional Night Shift mode is found in Settings > Display and Brightness > Blue Light Reduction, with a slider bar to control how orange or blue it looks, and to adjust the schedule. It is also available in quick settings.
- Multi-user support
Buried in the iOS 9.3 release notes is the first sign of multi-user support, only it's strictly for classroom iPads right now. Apple calls this new app suite 'iOS in Education', and the highlight is the fact that it enables students to log into any iPad in any classroom and pick up where they left off.
iOS in Education also includes three other apps meant for teachers and school officials: a new Classroom app for teach-guided lessons that ensures the students follow along, and Apple School Manager and Managed Apple IDs for consolidated admin portals.
- Apple Notes password protected
Before the new iOS 9.3 arrived, keeping confidential information in Apple Notes could be a little risky. Anyone could nab your unlocked iPhone and scan the secrets you jotted down.
iOS 9.3 allows your vulnerable folks to protect certain notes under lock and fingerprint for extra security. It also lets you sort everything by date created, date modified and alphabetically now.
- Apple News curation tweaks
Apple News is a little more personal and a little easier to navigate in iOS 9.3, though it doesn't address its biggest design problems. That may have to wait until iOS 10.
Instead, the pre-loaded Flipboard clone now has a more personalized "For You" section based on your interests, and new suggestions with trending topics and Editor's Picks.
It's more streamlined now because stories with a video can be played straight from the feed, and the iPhone now supports a landscape view for everyone. The entire app loads faster, too.
- New Apple Health dashboard
Apple Health is becoming a little less lifeless with the iOS 9.3 update thanks to new, worthwhile third-party app suggestions and Apple Watch integration. Tracking down which third-party apps deliver the metrics you want is going to be easier because Health makes suggestions in its existing categories, like Weight, Workouts or Sleep.
The next time you go to Health to track your weight, you're going to see "Apps for Tracking Weight" at the bottom with at least five alternate apps you may want to try instead. Sadly, there's still no Fitbit integration on the horizon.
- CarPlay Music and Maps enhancements
Apple CarPlay is slowly driving alongside the shoulder of the highway, trying to pick up speed by rolling out in 2016 and forthcoming 2017 cars and trucks.
The iOS 9.3 CarPlay update is going to give it a minor boost starting with Apple Music tweaks. New (expert-picked) and For You (preference-based) songs are now part of the music menu.
The Nearby feature found in Apple Maps on the iPhone and Apple Watch is also coming to CarPlay cars, helping you find points of interests when you need them the most.
- Minor iOS 9.3 changes
The software update has a few more goodies buried within its app-filled menus. We've discovered new 3D Touch shortcuts for preloaded apps: Weather, App Store, Stocks, Health, Compass and Settings are all a tiny bit easier to navigate in iOS 9.3.
Need to tell Siri something in Hebrew, Finish or Malay? Apple's personal assistant now understands those languages, bringing the total up to 37 languages.
In the US, Verizon customers can take advantage of Wi-Fi calling, as beta 3 finally adds this long-promised feature.
Finally, although iOS 9 release notes don't address the newly discovered 1970 glitch that bricks your iPhone and iPad if the date is set to January 1, 1970, expect there to be a vague reference to that in the final version of the text.
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