Apple Announces Massive Upcoming iOS 9.3 Update

Apple announced an enormous update to iOS on Monday with many features and enhancements. Currently it is available for developers only but will be made available to the public in the next few weeks. Here are a few of the significant new features, all of which can be found on Apple’s official iOS 9.3 Preview Page.

Night Shift

You probably haven’t noticed, but iPhones emit a light that’s on the blue side of the spectrum. Research has shown that this blue light can negatively affect the body’s circadian rhythm, making it harder to fall asleep. This feature reduces the amount of blue light by warming all the colors on the screen after sunset automatically. It is very similar to an app called f.lux for Mac.

Private Notes

You can now protect the entire notes app or individual notes with a password and/or Touch ID. This is very helpful for those who keep passwords or financial information in notes, adding an extra layer of security.

Improved News and Health App

The News app now features a new algorithm and For You section dedicated to bringing the best stories pertaining to your interests. Videos now play in-line instead of popping up full-screen. Everything works in landscape now and stories load much faster, leaving the user with a much more immersive and impressive experience.

The Health app also received a few tweaks, allowing you to quickly see Move, Stand, and Exercise data right from the homepage. There’s also a new section highlighting all the great fitness apps you can download.

New 3D Touch Actions

Almost every built-in app now has 3D Touch actions, including Compass, Weather, and Settings.

CarPlay

Apple added a few new features to CarPlay, a system that lets you control iPhone from certain stereo systems in your car. Now users can access the New and For You sections of Apple Music, as well as see nearby places in Maps.

Education

Apple is making a big push for iPads to be used in schools. Education iPads now support multiple users, so students can sign in to the shared classroom iPad and see all their content. There’s a new classroom app that helps teachers guide students through lessons and track progress. Apple also released tools to help educators create and manage Apple IDs, purchase apps, and setup/track all the devices in the school.

Multiple Apple Watch Support

You can now pair multiple Apple Watches to iPhone, allowing users the ability to quickly switch between Watches if they own more than one.