Apple has been busy testing iOS 9.2.1 lately, but because that’s an x.x.1 update over what we all currently have, that update may not be super exciting to some folks. Well today Apple started offering an update that’s a bit more exciting.
The first iOS 9.3 beta update is now available to registered developers. The update is build 13E5181d, and there are several notable features included.
The iOS 9.3 beta 1 update offers the ability to pair a single iPhone with multiple Apple Watches, and there’s also a multi-user feature for the iPad. With the multi-user feature — which is being touted as an education feature — you can log in to the iPad and immediately have access to all of your apps and documents. Other new goodies include the ability to lock the Notes app with Touch ID, Health and CarPlay improvements, and Night Shift, which will shift the iOS device’s screen to a warmer hue to make nighttime use easier on your eyes.
In addition to iOS 9.3 beta 1, Apple has pushed out watchOS 2.2 and tvOS 9.2 beta updates to registered developers. With watchOS 2.2, you can connect multiple Apple Watches to a single iPhone. Meanwhile, tvOS 9.2 includes several notable new features, including home screen folders, Bluetooth keyboard support, and a new App Switcher UI.
So yeah, it looks like these new updates are biggies. The iOS 9.3 update sounds particularly huge, bringing in major new features like Night Shift and multi-user support. The ability to have multiple user profiles on a single iPad is perhaps one of the most oft-requested iPad features, with folks wanting the ability to have separate profiles for families that share a single iPad. Apple appears to be touting this as an education-centric feature, so hopefully it’s something that everyone else can utilize, too.
There’s no word yet on when iOS 9.3 will launch to us regular folk, but because the first beta is rolling out today, it’s likely at least a couple of months out. But hey, at least now we know that Apple is bringing major new features with the update!