When Will iOS 16.3 Be Released?

iOS 16.3 and related operating system updates for Apple's various platforms will bring several new features and bug fixes, so when can we expect the updates to arrive?

iOS 16
As part of a press release on January 18 announcing a new Unity wallpaper, watch face, and watch band in celebration of Black History Month, Apple revealed that iOS 16.3 and watchOS 9.3 would be released "next week," with iPadOS 16.3, tvOS 16.3, macOS 13.2, and HomePod software 16.3 almost certainly arriving at the same time.

Thanks to release notes included with the release candidate version of iOS 16.3 seeded to developers, we already know what changes are included in the update. Aside from support for the upcoming second-generation ‌HomePod‌, the only major new features coming in iOS 16.3 are support for physical security keys to help secure Apple ID accounts and a worldwide expansion of optional Advanced Data Protection for iCloud accounts.

There is also a change to how Emergency SOS calls work on iPhone in order to reduce inadvertent calls, while there are a number of bug fixes included in the update.

iOS 16.3 Release Date and Time

With Apple only specifying "next week" (now this week) for the release of iOS 16.3, we don't yet know exactly what day it will become available to the public. Based on Apple's history of releases, however, it appears likely that iOS 16.3 will be released relatively early in the week. Monday has been the most frequent release day of the week for significant iOS updates recently, though there have been some Tuesday and Wednesday releases. Thursday and Friday releases are much less common.

Regardless of which day the updates arrive, Apple's operating system releases typically happen around 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time. Assuming the usual timing, iOS 16.3 will be available at approximately these times around the world on whichever day it launches:

  • Honolulu, Hawaii — 8:00 a.m. HST
  • Anchorage, Alaska — 9:00 a.m. AKST
  • Cupertino, California — 10:00 a.m. PST
  • Vancouver, Canada — 10:00 a.m. PST
  • Phoenix, Arizona — 11:00 a.m. MST
  • Denver, Colorado — 11:00 a.m. MST
  • Dallas, Texas — 12:00 noon CST
  • New York, New York — 1:00 p.m. EST
  • Toronto, Canada — 1:00 p.m. EST
  • Halifax, Canada — 2:00 p.m. AST
  • Rio de Janeiro, Brazil — 3:00 p.m. BRT
  • London, United Kingdom — 6:00 p.m. GMT
  • Berlin, Germany — 7:00 p.m. CET
  • Paris, France — 7:00 p.m. CET
  • Cape Town, South Africa — 8:00 p.m. SAST
  • Helsinki, Finland — 8:00 p.m. EET
  • Moscow, Russia — 9:00 p.m. MSK
  • Istanbul, Turkey — 9:00 p.m. TRT
  • Dubai, United Arab Emirates — 10:00 p.m. GST
  • Delhi, India — 11:30 p.m. IST
  • Jakarta, Indonesia — 1:00 a.m. WIB next day
  • Shanghai, China — 2:00 a.m. CST next day
  • Singapore — 2:00 a.m. SGT next day
  • Perth, Australia — 2:00 a.m. AWST next day
  • Hong Kong — 2:00 a.m. HKT next day
  • Seoul, South Korea — 3:00 a.m. KST next day
  • Tokyo, Japan — 3:00 a.m. JST next day
  • Adelaide, Australia — 4:30 a.m. ACDT next day
  • Sydney, Australia — 5:00 a.m. AEDT next day
  • Auckland, New Zealand — 7:00 a.m. NZDT next day
Related Forum: iOS 16

Popular Stories

apple card 1

Apple Ending Apple Card Partnership With Goldman Sachs

Tuesday November 28, 2023 3:09 pm PST by
Apple is ending its credit card partnership with Goldman Sachs, according to The Wall Street Journal. Apple plans to stop working with Goldman Sachs in the next 12 to 15 months, and it is not yet clear if Apple has established a new partnership for the Apple Card. Apple and Goldman Sachs will dissolve their entire consumer partnership, including the Apple Card and the Apple Savings account....
iOS 17

Everything New in iOS 17.2 Beta 4

Tuesday November 28, 2023 12:18 pm PST by
Apple is wrapping up development on iOS 17.2, with the update expected to come out in December. While we're getting to the end of the beta testing period, Apple is still tweaking features and adding new functionality. We've rounded up everything new in the fourth beta of iOS 17.2. Default Notification Sound Under Sounds & Haptics, there's a new "Default Alerts" section that allows you to ...
ios 17 namedrop

Police Departments and News Sites Spreading Misinformation About How iOS 17 NameDrop Feature Works

Monday November 27, 2023 5:11 pm PST by
Apple with iOS 17.1 and watchOS 10.1 introduced a new NameDrop feature that is designed to allow users to place Apple devices near one another to quickly exchange contact information. Sharing contact information is done with explicit user permission, but some news organizations and police departments have been spreading misinformation about how NameDrop functions. As noted by The Washington...
All New CarPlay Five New Features Article 2

What to Expect From All-New CarPlay, Still Listed as Coming 'Late 2023'

Tuesday November 28, 2023 7:44 am PST by
At WWDC in June 2022, Apple previewed the next generation of CarPlay, promising deeper integration with vehicle functions like A/C and FM radio, support for multiple displays across the dashboard, increased personalization, and more. Apple's website still says the first vehicles with support for the next-generation CarPlay experience will be announced in "late 2023," but it has not shared...
iOS 17

iOS 17.1.2 Update for iPhone Likely to Be Released This Week

Monday November 27, 2023 8:24 am PST by
Apple will likely release iOS 17.1.2 this week, based on mounting evidence of the software in our website's analytics logs in recent days. As a minor update, iOS 17.1.2 should be focused on bug fixes, but it's unclear exactly which issues might be addressed. Some users have continued to experience Wi-Fi issues on iOS 17.1.1, so perhaps iOS 17.1.2 will include the same fix for Wi-Fi...
Apple 5G Modem Feature Triad

Apple to Discontinue Custom 5G Modem Development, Claim Reports

Wednesday November 29, 2023 4:19 am PST by
Apple is discontinuing in-house modem development after several unsuccessful attempts to perfect its own custom 5G modem chip, according to unconfirmed reports coming out of Asia. According to the operator of news aggregator account "yeux1122" on the Naver blog, supply chain sources related to Apple's 5G modem departments claim that the company's attempts to develop its own modem have...
Apple Logo

Apple Discontinued These 5 Products This Year

Monday November 27, 2023 7:03 am PST by
As the end of 2023 nears, now is a good opportunity to look back at some of the devices and accessories that Apple discontinued throughout the year. Apple products discontinued in 2023 include the iPhone 13 mini, 13-inch MacBook Pro, MagSafe Battery Pack, MagSafe Duo Charger, and leather accessories. Also check out our lists of Apple products discontinued in 2022 and 2021. iPhone Mini ...
Google Drive

Some Google Drive Users' Files Have Mysteriously Vanished

Tuesday November 28, 2023 3:55 am PST by
Google Drive users have been warned not to disconnect their account within the Google Drive for desktop app, after a spate of reports of files going missing from the cloud service. Alarm bells began ringing last week on Google's community support site when some users reported files mysteriously disappearing from Google Drive, with some posters claiming six or more months of data had...