iOS 9.3 is biggest incremental iPhone and iPad update in years, as Apple has packed its new software with features that may go as far as changing your sleeping habits.
That's right, the iOS 9.3 beta 2 download that we're testing out has the long-sought-after iPhone Night Shift feature to control the blue light levels emitted from your screen.
Plenty of other useful features are here to multi-user support for students, Apple Notes locked behind a password and tweaked News, Health and Apple CarPlay apps.
While the final iOS 9.3 release date hasn't officially been announced, this beta update appears to be almost feature-complete and, so far, bug free. Here's what to expect when it does launch.
I've read dozens of news stories that tell me I shouldn't go to bed staring at my iPhone 6S Plus, my iPad Air 2 or my new MacBook, but do I follow those wise instructions? No.
Night Shift is the iOS 9.3 solution I've been waiting for because it won't require me to change my nighttime reading and working habits. It automatically tints my screen to warmer colors
"Many studies have shown that exposure to bright blue light in the evening can affect your circadian rhythms and make it harder to fall asleep," according to Apple.
What's neat is that iOS 9.3 uses the clock and geolocation to determine the sunset, and it the screen increasingly becomes more orange throughout the night, exactly like f.lux on Macs and Reader's Edition on Amazon Kindle HD 8.
The completely optional Night Shift is found in Settings > Display and Brightness > Blue Light Reduction, with a slider bar to control how orange or blue it looks, and to adjust the schedule.
It's all designed to allow your eyes to relax so that falling asleep is easier, and when it's time to wake up, the screen color shifts back to normal in the morning.
Apple calls this new app suite "iOS in Education," and the highlight is the fact that it lets students log into any iPad in any classroom and pick up where they left off.
This makes a lot of sense for a school's shared iPad experience, and it comes with Photo IDs to denote profiles and simple passwords for younger students.
iOS in Education also includes three other apps meant for teachers and school officials: a new Classroom app for teach-guided lessons that ensures the students follow along, and Apple School Manager and Managed Apple IDs for consolidated admin portals.
Even if you're not going to school, the simple fact that Apple has built one form of a multi-user login experience should give you high hope for a similar iOS 10 experience in a few months.
That's right, the iOS 9.3 beta 2 download that we're testing out has the long-sought-after iPhone Night Shift feature to control the blue light levels emitted from your screen.
Plenty of other useful features are here to multi-user support for students, Apple Notes locked behind a password and tweaked News, Health and Apple CarPlay apps.
While the final iOS 9.3 release date hasn't officially been announced, this beta update appears to be almost feature-complete and, so far, bug free. Here's what to expect when it does launch.
Night Shift
I've read dozens of news stories that tell me I shouldn't go to bed staring at my iPhone 6S Plus, my iPad Air 2 or my new MacBook, but do I follow those wise instructions? No.
Night Shift is the iOS 9.3 solution I've been waiting for because it won't require me to change my nighttime reading and working habits. It automatically tints my screen to warmer colors
"Many studies have shown that exposure to bright blue light in the evening can affect your circadian rhythms and make it harder to fall asleep," according to Apple.
What's neat is that iOS 9.3 uses the clock and geolocation to determine the sunset, and it the screen increasingly becomes more orange throughout the night, exactly like f.lux on Macs and Reader's Edition on Amazon Kindle HD 8.
The completely optional Night Shift is found in Settings > Display and Brightness > Blue Light Reduction, with a slider bar to control how orange or blue it looks, and to adjust the schedule.
It's all designed to allow your eyes to relax so that falling asleep is easier, and when it's time to wake up, the screen color shifts back to normal in the morning.
Multi-user user support... kind of
Buried at the bottom of the iOS 9.3 beta release notes is the first sign of multi-user support, only it's strictly meant for classroom iPads right now.Apple calls this new app suite "iOS in Education," and the highlight is the fact that it lets students log into any iPad in any classroom and pick up where they left off.
This makes a lot of sense for a school's shared iPad experience, and it comes with Photo IDs to denote profiles and simple passwords for younger students.
iOS in Education also includes three other apps meant for teachers and school officials: a new Classroom app for teach-guided lessons that ensures the students follow along, and Apple School Manager and Managed Apple IDs for consolidated admin portals.
Even if you're not going to school, the simple fact that Apple has built one form of a multi-user login experience should give you high hope for a similar iOS 10 experience in a few months.
Apple Notes password protected
Before the new iOS 9.3 beta arrived, keeping confidential information in Apple Notes could be a little risky. Anyone could nab your unlocked iPhone and scan the secrets you jotted down.
Thankfully, the power of Touch ID and passcodes are now a part of Apple Notes. Far too many people (read: parents) keep all of their financial data, medical information and passwords in this not-so-secret app.
iOS 9.3 allows your vulnerable folks to protect certain notes under lock and fingerprint for extra security. It also lets you sort everything by date created, date modified and alphabetically now
Thankfully, the power of Touch ID and passcodes are now a part of Apple Notes. Far too many people (read: parents) keep all of their financial data, medical information and passwords in this not-so-secret app.
iOS 9.3 allows your vulnerable folks to protect certain notes under lock and fingerprint for extra security. It also lets you sort everything by date created, date modified and alphabetically now
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