Apple Seeds Seventh Beta of iOS 9.3 to Developers and Public Beta Testers

Monday March 14, 2016 2:48 pm PDT by Juli Clover

ios93 Apple today seeded the seventh beta of an upcoming iOS 9.3 update to developers and public beta testers for testing purposes, one week after seeding the sixth iOS 9.3 beta and more than three months after the public release of iOS 9.2, the last major update to iOS 9. iOS 9.3 has been in testing since January 11.

The seventh iOS 9.3 beta is available as an over-the-air update and through the iOS section of the Apple Developer Center (developers only).

As a major update to the iOS 9 operating system, iOS 9.3 introduces several new features. There's a Night Shift mode to reduce the amount of blue light iOS users are exposed to in the evening by shifting the iPad or iPhone display to a warmer (yellower) color spectrum, and there are several features designed to improve the iPad for Education program, such as multi-user login. Multi-user login, while an appealing feature, is limited to MDM customers and is not available to the general public.

Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.

Multiple apps and features are also seeing updates in iOS 9.3. Apple News includes more personalized recommendations, faster updates, a landscape view on the iPhone, and support for in-line video, while Health includes an Apple Watch-style "Activity" view, Notes has an option to password protect individual entries, and third-party apps can add songs to Apple Music.

Apple Music for CarPlay offers "New" and "For You" sections for better music discovery in iOS 9.3, and a Nearby Feature in CarPlay Maps offers more information about points of interest that are close by. Paired with watchOS 2.2, an iPhone running iOS 9.3 is able to support multiple Apple Watches, and for iPhone 6s users, there are new Quick Actions for Weather, Settings, Compass, Health, App Store, and iTunes Store.

This is likely to be one of the last betas of iOS 9.3 we'll see before it is released to the public. Apple is planning to launch iOS 9.3 in the spring, perhaps following an event that is scheduled to take place on March 21.

Tag: iOS 9.3

Related Forum: iOS 9

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro to Reverse iPhone X Design Decision

Monday July 7, 2025 9:46 am PDT by Joe Rossignol

Since the iPhone X in 2017, all of Apple's highest-end iPhone models have featured either stainless steel or titanium frames, but it has now been rumored that this design decision will be coming to an end with the iPhone 17 Pro models later this year. In a post on Chinese social media platform Weibo today, the account Instant Digital said that the iPhone 17 Pro models will have an aluminum...

• 131 comments

Everything New in iOS 26 Beta 3

Monday July 7, 2025 1:20 pm PDT by Juli Clover

Apple is continuing to refine and update iOS 26, and beta three features smaller changes than we saw in beta 2, plus further tweaks to the Liquid Glass design. Apple is gearing up for the next phase of beta testing, and the company has promised that a public beta is set to come out in July. Transparency In some apps like Apple Music, Podcasts, and the App Store, Apple has toned down the...

• 239 comments

Apple Launching These 15+ Products Later This Year

Sunday July 6, 2025 8:05 am PDT by Joe Rossignol

The calendar has turned to July, meaning that 2025 is now more than half over. And while the summer months are often quiet for Apple, the company still has more than a dozen products coming later this year, according to rumors. Below, we have outlined at least 15 new Apple products that are expected to launch later this year, along with key rumored features for each. iPhone 17 Series iPho...

• 32 comments

Here's How the iPhone 17 Pro Max Will Compare to the iPhone 17 Pro

Saturday July 5, 2025 1:00 pm PDT by Joe Rossignol

Apple should unveil the iPhone 17 series in September, and there might be one bigger difference between the Pro and Pro Max models this year. As always, the Pro Max model will be larger than the Pro model:iPhone 17 Pro: 6.3-inch display iPhone 17 Pro Max: 6.9-inch displayGiven the Pro Max is physically larger than the Pro, it has more internal space, allowing for a larger battery and...

• 89 comments

Here's Which Vehicles Offer iPhone Car Keys

Sunday July 6, 2025 3:03 pm PDT by Joe Rossignol

In 2020, Apple added a digital car key feature to its Wallet app, allowing users to lock, unlock, and start a compatible vehicle with an iPhone or Apple Watch. The feature is currently offered by select automakers, including Audi, BMW, Hyundai, Kia, Genesis, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, and a handful of others, and it is set to expand further. Apple has a web page with a list of vehicle models that ...

• 108 comments

apple wallet drivers license feature iPhone 15 pro

Apple Says iPhone Driver's Licenses Will Expand to These 8 U.S. States

Tuesday July 8, 2025 11:26 am PDT by Joe Rossignol

In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. Unfortunately, this feature continues to roll out very slowly since it was announced in 2021, with only nine U.S. states, Puerto Rico,...

New iPhone 17 Pro Renders Highlight Apple Logo and MagSafe Design Changes

Sunday July 6, 2025 8:43 pm PDT by Hartley Charlton

New renders today provide the best look yet relocated Apple logo and redesigned MagSafe magnet array of the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max. Image via Majin Bu. Several of the design changes coming to the iPhone 17 Pro model have been rumored for some time, such as the elongated camera bump that spans the full width of the device, with the LiDAR Scanner and flash moving to the right side. ...

• 112 comments

Apple Account Card Expanding to More Countries

Tuesday July 8, 2025 7:34 pm PDT by Hartley Charlton

Apple is expanding the ability to add an Apple Account Card to the Wallet app to more countries, according to backend Apple Pay changes. With iOS 15.5, Apple updated the Wallet app to allow users to add an Apple Account Card, which displays the Apple credit balance associated with an Apple ID. If you receive an Apple gift card, for example, it is added to an Apple Account that is also...

• 26 comments

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 14 New Features

Friday July 4, 2025 1:05 pm PDT by Joe Rossignol

Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are just over two months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models. Latest Rumors These rumors surfaced in June and July:Apple logo repositioned: Apple's logo may have a lower position on the back of the iPhone 17 Pro models, compared to previous...

• 73 comments

Top Rated Comments

Tycho24

122 months ago

Holy crap!
Is it my imagination or is this a lot of betas??

Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)

bushido

122 months ago

please dont fix the animation bug.

edit: still works :)

Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Shunnabunich

122 months ago

One Year Later…

Tim Cook Sends Company-wide Email in Honor of Hundredth iOS 9.3 Beta

In an email sent to employees today, Apple CEO Tim Cook offered his congratulations to the iOS development team on the release of the one-hundredth Public Beta release of iOS 9.3. The memo comes on the heels of recent public criticism ('http://you.didntexpe.ct/anactual/link/here.didyou') regarding the company's continued work on the update despite iOS 10's debut nearly six months prior, as well as Apple's announcement of the upcoming iOS 11 at a media event ('http://sorry.thisone.is/notalink.either') last week. The full email has been posted by 9to5Mac ('http://what.areyoustill.ch/ecking/these.links?i=guess-im-kinda-flattered&or=something').

Team,

Today, we released the one-hundredth beta of iOS 9.3 to our incredibly dedicated community of developers and public beta testers. It has been a long and arduous journey, but I can truthfully say that 9.3 is closer to release than it has ever been.

The iOS team continues to set an example of Apple's unwavering dedication to quality for the rest of the industry. Over the last year, we've released iOS 10, which has brought a wealth of innovations to more people around the world than ever before; we've made great strides toward the release of iOS 11; and, as I promised our customers last April, we've never lost sight of our goal to bring a truly rock-solid iOS 9.3 to those still using older devices.

I am deeply proud of the efforts you and your coworkers have made to deliver amazing and magical products which enrich the lives of countless millions of people, and I'd like to take this opportunity to thank each of you for the ingenious and tireless work that you do.

Tim

As a major update to the iOS 9 operating system, iOS 9.3 introduces several long-awaited features ('https://www.macrumors.com/2016/01/11/whats-new-in-ios-9-3/'). Night Shift mode ('https://www.macrumors.com/2016/01/11/apple-ios-9-3-night-shift/'), introduced with iOS 10.0 last fall, reduces the amount of blue light users are exposed to in the evening by shifting the display of an iOS device to a warmer, more yellowish color spectrum. Improvements to CarPlay and Apple News are also included, as well as additional Quick Actions for included apps and support for multiple Apple Watches.

Apple is planning to launch iOS 9.3 this summer.

Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Bentron

122 months ago

Seems like iOS 9.3 has been around for ages now and it still hasn't even been released to the public!

Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)

OldSchoolMacGuy

122 months ago

This many beta of a .xx release is pretty unheard of right?

The number has been increasing. It's not uncommon for betas to have far more iterations, especially when working with new features. While it may be more than we've seen in other betas I don't think it's anything special or to be alarmed about. The hope is more that they're getting all the issues out of the way with additional rounds of fixes followed by testing.

Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)