iOS 11.3 Release Notes Appear to Have Leaked With No Mention of Messages on iCloud or AirPlay 2

ios 11French developer Pierre Blazquez today shared what he claims are the final iOS 11.3 release notes, supposedly obtained from Apple's servers. His tweet contains images of the release notes in English for the United States.

Apple blog Mac4Ever shared the release notes in French, which we've translated and embedded below in English.

While there aren't too many surprises, it's worth noting that Messages on iCloud is not listed, despite being enabled in the latest iOS 11.3 and macOS 10.13.4 betas. Apple did say the feature is included in the betas "for testing and evaluation purposes," so it was never entirely clear if it would be ready for the final release.


AirPlay 2 is also not listed, although the protocol was removed from the later beta versions of iOS 11.3 and tvOS 11.3. Messages on iCloud and AirPlay 2 were also not listed in macOS 10.13.4 release notes leaked last week.

Beyond that, the release notes seemingly confirm Apple's new Battery Health feature on iPhones will still be considered a beta feature in the iOS 11.3 public release, Advanced Mobile Location support where available, App Store review sorting, and improved charging management for always-plugged-in iPads.

As expected, there are also new accessibility features, a wide range of stability improvements and bug fixes, and other enhancements:

Augmented Reality

  • ARKit 1.5 allows developers to place virtual objects on vertical surfaces like walls and doors in addition to horizontal surfaces

  • Adds support for detecting and incorporating images like movie posters or artwork into AR experiences

  • Supports a higher resolution real-world camera view when using AR experiences

iPhone Battery Health (Beta)

  • Displays information on iPhone maximum battery capacity and peak performance capability

  • Indicates if the performance management feature that dynamically manages maximum performance to prevent unexpected shutdowns is on and includes the option to disable it

  • Recommends if a battery needs to be replaced

  • For more information on batteries and performance, visit this website: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208387

iPad charge management

  • Maintains battery status when the iPad is plugged in for extended periods of time, such as when used in a kiosk or point-of-sale system, or stored in a charging cart.

Animoji

  • Four new Animoji available on the iPhone X: lion, bear, dragon and skull.

Privacy

  • When an Apple feature asks to use your personal information, an icon now appears with a link to access detailed information about how your data will be used and protected.

Business Chat (Beta) — US Only

  • Communicate with companies to easily ask questions, schedule appointments, and make purchases inside the built-in Messages app on iPhone and iPad

Health Records (Beta) — US Only

  • Access health records and view lab results, immunizations, and more in a consolidated timeline in the Health app

Apple Music

  • Provides a new experience in video clips, including a Revised Video Clips section featuring exclusive video playlists.

  • Find friends with similar tastes through Apple Music's improved suggestions, which list the genres that the users and mutual friends follow.

News

  • The main titles now always appear first in "For You."

  • Watch the best videos selected by News editors.

App Store

  • Four options now allow you to sort the customer reviews on the product pages: the most useful, the most favorable, the most critical or the most recent.

  • The Updates tab now shows the version of the app and the size of the file.

Safari

  • Promotes the protection of privacy by notifying usernames and passwords until they have been selected in a web form field.

  • Presents warnings in the smart search field when the user interacts with password entry forms or credit card data on unencrypted web pages.

  • Automatic filling of usernames and passwords is now available in apps' web views.

  • By default, articles shared via Mail from Safari are now formatted using Reader mode, if the drive is available.

  • In Favorites, folders now have icons for the bookmarks they contain.

Keyboards

  • Adds two Shuangpin keyboard layouts.

  • Supports connected physical keyboards using Turkish F layout.

  • Improves Chinese and Japanese keyboards for better accessibility on devices with a 4.7-inch or 5.5-inch screen.

  • Allows you to return to the keyboard with a simple touch after the dictation.

  • Fixes a problem that could cause the capitalization of the first letter of some words by the automatic correction feature.

  • Fixes an issue on the iPad Pro that prevented the iPad Smart Keyboard from working after connecting to a captive Wi-Fi hotspot.

  • Fixes a problem that could cause undesirable activation of the digital layout on the Thai keyboard in landscape mode.

Accessibility

  • The App Store now supports accessibility options "Bold Text" and "Large Font" for customizing the display.

  • Smart Reversal now supports images on the web and in Mail messages.

  • Enhances the RTT experience and supports RTT service for T-Mobile.

  • Improves app selection on the iPad for VoiceOver users and selection control.

  • Corrects a problem with the incorrect description of the Bluetooth status icon and the Bluetooth icon by VoiceOver.

  • Fixes a problem that may prevent the end of call button from appearing in the Phone app when using VoiceOver.

  • Fixes an issue preventing access to an app's built-in ranking with VoiceOver.

  • Fixes a problem that may cause distorted audio playback when using real-time listening.

Other Enhancements and Fixes

  • Supports AML technology, which provides more accurate location data to emergency services during an emergency call (in countries where this technology is available).

  • Supports software authentication, which provides developers with a new way to create and activate HomeKit-compatible accessories.

  • Podcasts now plays episodes with a single tap, and you can tap Details to learn more about each one.

  • Improves search performance for users with long notes in Contacts.

  • Improves the performance of Handoff and the universal clipboard when both devices are connected to the same Wi-Fi network.

  • Fixes a problem that may prevent incoming calls from activating the screen.

  • Fixes a problem that may prevent or prevent voicemail playback.

  • Fixes an issue that prevents opening a web link in Messages.

  • Fixes a problem that may prevent users from returning to Mail after previewing an attachment to a message.

  • Fixes a problem that could cause the deleted screen to reappear on the locked screen.

  • Fixes a problem that can cause the time and notifications to disappear on the locked screen.

  • Fixes an issue that prevents parents from using Face ID for approving purchase authorization requests.

  • Fixes a problem that could prevent updating of the current weather conditions in Weather.

  • Fixes a problem that could prevent the synchronization of contacts with a vehicle directory when connected via Bluetooth.

  • Fixes a problem that may prevent an audio app from playing content in a vehicle while it was in the background.

iOS 11.3 remains in beta testing, but a public release appears to be imminent, as the software update was seeded for the new iPad yesterday.

Apple recently confirmed that there will be an iOS 11.4 software update, perhaps including Messages on iCloud and AirPlay 2.

Related Forum: iOS 11

Popular Stories

iphone 17 models

No iPhone 18 Launch This Year, Reports Suggest

Thursday January 1, 2026 8:43 am PST by
Apple is not expected to release a standard iPhone 18 model this year, according to a growing number of reports that suggest the company is planning a significant change to its long-standing annual iPhone launch cycle. Despite the immense success of the iPhone 17 in 2025, the iPhone 18 is not expected to arrive until the spring of 2027, leaving the iPhone 17 in the lineup as the latest...
samsung crease less foldable display ces 2026%402x

Foldable iPhone's Crease-Free Display Tech Spotted at CES 2026

Tuesday January 6, 2026 3:04 am PST by
CES 2026 has just provided a first glimpse of the folding display technology that Apple is expected to use in its upcoming foldable iPhone. At the event, Samsung Display briefly showcased its new crease-less foldable OLED panel beside a Galaxy Z Fold 7, and according to SamMobile, which saw the test booth before it was abruptly removed, the new panel "has no crease at all" in comparison. The ...
govee floor lamp

CES 2026: Govee Announces New Matter-Connected Ceiling and Floor Lights

Sunday January 4, 2026 5:00 am PST by
Govee today introduced three new HomeKit-compatible lighting products, including the Govee Floor Lamp 3, the Govee Ceiling Light Ultra, and the Govee Sky Ceiling Light. The Govee Floor Lamp 3 is the successor to the Floor Lamp 2, and it offers Matter integration with the option to connect to HomeKit. The Floor Lamp 3 offers an upgraded LuminBlend+ lighting system that can reproduce 281...
airpods pro 3 glitter

AirPods New Year's Deals Include Up to $99 Off AirPods Max, AirPods Pro 3, and AirPods 4

Sunday January 4, 2026 8:04 am PST by
Now that the calendar has flipped over into January, steep discounts on popular Apple products have become more rare after the holidays. However, if you didn't get a new pair of AirPods recently and are looking for a model on sale, Amazon does have a few solid second-best prices this week. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a...
AirPods Pro 3 Year of the Horse Feature

Apple Launches Year of the Horse AirPods Pro 3 for Lunar New Year

Monday January 5, 2026 11:28 am PST by
Apple has designed a limited edition version of the AirPods Pro 3 to celebrate Lunar New Year, and customers in select countries can purchase them starting today. The Year of the Horse Special Edition AirPods Pro 3 feature a unique horse emoji character that's otherwise unavailable. Customers in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Singapore are able to buy the AirPods, and they'll be...
Belkin 25W Battery magnetic

CES 2026: Belkin Announces Magnetic Ring Power Bank, Modular Dock, and More

Sunday January 4, 2026 3:02 pm PST by
Belkin today announced a range of new charging and connectivity accessories at CES 2026, expanding its portfolio of products aimed at Apple device users. UltraCharge Pro Power Bank 10K with Magnetic Ring The lineup includes new Qi2 and Qi2.2 wireless chargers, magnetic power banks, a high-capacity laptop battery, and USB-C productivity accessories, with an emphasis on higher charging...
m4 macbook air blue 2

iPadOS and macOS 26.2 Double 5GHz Wi-Fi Bandwidth for Wi-Fi 6E Devices

Monday January 5, 2026 1:57 pm PST by
With the release of iPadOS 26.2 and macOS Tahoe 26.2, Apple has improved the Wi-Fi speeds for select Macs and iPads that support Wi-Fi 6E. Updated Wi-Fi connectivity specifications are listed in Apple's platform deployment guide. The M4 iPad Pro models, M3 iPad Air models, A17 Pro iPad mini, M2 to M5 MacBook Pro models, M2, M3, and M4 MacBook Air models, and other Wi-Fi 6E Macs and iPads now ...
anker new charger 2026

Anker Introduces Pre-Order Discounts on 2026 Nano Chargers, Alongside Big New Year's Sale

Monday January 5, 2026 10:17 am PST by
Anker announced a new series of products at CES this week, and most of them will begin rolling out to customers later in January. A few of these devices, including the Nano Docking Station and 45W Nano Charger, have pre-order discounts on Anker's website, and we're also tracking big discounts in Anker's New Year's sale. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When...

Top Rated Comments

mcfly88 Avatar
102 months ago
iOS 12: Everything we promised you a year ago!
Score: 29 Votes (Like | Disagree)
OldSchoolMacGuy Avatar
102 months ago
How dare they! I was promised nothing and I'm upset I didn't get it!
Score: 27 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Elijahg Avatar
102 months ago
How dare something not present in the betas not be there in the final release!
How dare they promise Airplay 2 "soon" at WWDC 2017 and still not have it released a year later. Oh and it actually was present for a while.

Not sure what the aim of this major point release release is really considering everything significant has been dropped. It should be in a minor point release IMO (i.e. 11.2.6).
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
moabal Avatar
102 months ago
iCloud iMessage was the only thing I wanted in iOS 11. If it won't be in 11.3 that would suck.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
OldSchoolMacGuy Avatar
102 months ago
What is sad is that iOS12 will probably be what iOS11 should have been. It feels like each year the software gets buggier and buggier which is horrible considering they have a massive amount of beta customers now participating that should give crash data which leads to quicker stable releases.
The problem is that 99% of beta users don't bother reporting an issue. If they do experience it, they head to a forum like Reddit or MR and complain. That does NOTHING to help Apple. Apple needs real data. They can't fix an issue they don't know exists. The beta has a super simple app built right in for reporting those issues and yet people don't use it.

Far too many also assume someone else will report it for them. It's like passing an accident and assuming someone else will call it in but then no one does because everyone just assumed someone else did it and they don't bother to do so themselves. Apple also needs to see MULTIPLE reports. The more the better. If they get 1 report, it's not a priority and may just be a one off. If they get 10, maybe there's something to look into. If they get 100 then it's an issue and if they get 1000 or 10000, then it becomes a far larger issue and gets priority.

Remember how big "Bendgate" was? People acted like everyone had a phone that was bent. In reality, less than 12 people had reported it actually happening to them. That shows how we assume problems are bigger than they really are. The same happens with these bugs.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dominiongamma Avatar
102 months ago
iMessages was introduced last June! And we are approaching iOS 12 in June, sad!
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)