The latest official update for iPhone, iOS 13.2, introduced 22 new features and changes to the iOS 13 era, building off the improvements brought by iOS 13.1 and iOS 13 proper before it. It's time to take our first peek into what's next for iPhone and iOS, as Apple releases iOS 13.3 developer beta 1 today, Tuesday, Nov. 5.
While it's always a surprise to see a new iOS beta, the timing wasn't anything new. Apple dropped this update at 1 p.m. EST (10 a.m. PST), its traditional release time for developer betas. Speaking of which, this update is only for registered developers. If you're a public tester, you'll need to download public beta 1, which Apple released Wednesday, Nov. 6.
Unlike iOS 13.1 and 13.2, it appears 13.3 will not bring a host of new features to the mix. Instead, this first beta appears to add stability updates for bugs found in 13.2 and earlier, including a patch for 13.2's poor RAM management. If your apps constantly reload when multitasking, 13.3 should solve your issue.
You'll also see a new addition to Screen Time called "Communication Limits." This feature allows you to control who you can communicate with during both "Allowed Screen Time" as well as during Downtime.
There's now a toggle for disabling Memoji stickers in Messages, and a new Watch app logo, where the crown appears grey instead of black. "View Album" is now "Show Album" in Apple Music, with a new icon replacing the arrow, and AirPods Pro look like themselves in the "Find My" app, rather than appearing as previous-gen AirPods. You'll also see the return of "Thumbs-Up" and "Thumbs-Down" in the News app, alongside new back-and-forth buttons.
iOS 13.3 (middle) vs. iOS 13.2 (right).
iOS 13.3 (middle) vs. iOS 13.2 (right).
Apple's release notes will also provide important context on these changes, especially as they pertain to developers and bugs. That said, this time around, the notes are quite brief, mentioning only new Networking features for developers. If you can believe it, these notes are much more detailed than 13.2's by the end, as Apple offered essentially no notes for those releases:
iOS & iPadOS 13.3 Beta Release Notes
Update your apps to use new features, and test your apps against API changes.
Overview
The iOS & iPadOS 13.3 SDK provides support for developing apps for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch devices running iOS & iPadOS 13.3. The SDK comes bundled with Xcode 11.2 available from the Mac App Store. For information on the compatibility requirements for Xcode 11.2, see Xcode 11.2 Release Notes.
Networking - New Features
• Certain top-level domains (TLDs) such as .dev and .app are now in the Foundation URLSession and NSURLConnection HTTP Strict Transport Security (HSTS) preload list. An app which uses URLSession to visit a matching URL will always navigate to the URL as https://, and never as cleartext http://. See the HTTP Strict Transport Security (HSTS) Specification for more information about HSTS. (56247242)
To update your iPhone to iOS 13.3 dev beta 1, you will need to be a registered developer. You can use the restore image for your iPhone available in the Developer portal (install with iTunes or Finder) or install the configuration profile, then update over the air. If you already have the profile installed on your iPhone, head over to Settings –> General –> Software Update to start installing the latest beta build, or wait until it installs automatically if "Automatic Updates" is enabled.
Cover image by Marques Brownlee/YouTube
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