Apple has released the first iOS 11.3 Developer Beta today after publishing a press release for the next major update with new features to come, including new Animoji, health records in the Health app and a toggle for disabling processor throttling and slowed performance in iPhones.
iOS 11.3 Developer Beta 1 includes:
- 4 new Animoji on iPhone X: Lion, Skull, Bear, and and Dragon
- ARKit 1.5 with support for vertical surfaces like walls, irregular shaped surfaces like circular tables, support for auto-focus, and 50% higher resolution
- Business Chat for iMessage in beta with Discover, Hilton, Lowe’s and Wells Fargo on board
- Health Records in Health app automatically updated from select partners
- More prominent music video features in Apple Music
- HomeKit software authentication without chip certification
- Advanced Mobile Location for sending your location to emergency services when calling from iPhone
Moreover, iOS 11.3 will bring the following new features:
- Battery health & power management—Users can go to Settings > Battery to check out battery health, see if the battery needs to be serviced or turn off the new power management feature that dynamically manages maximum CPU performance to prevent unexpected shutdowns that were first introduced in iOS 10.2.1. Battery health and service recommendations are available for iPhone 6 and later. CPU throttling is available for iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone SE, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. Both features will be coming in a later iOS 11.3 beta release.
- 4 new Animoji—The Messages app brings four new animated 3D characters to spice up your conversations and Animoji karaoke videos—a lion, dragon, bear and skull—for a total of 16 different Animoji characters capable of tracking your facial expressions.
- ARKit improvements—ARKit 1.5 is now available to developers with several enhancements, including the ability to recognize and place virtual objects on vertical surfaces like walls and doors. ARKit also boosts your view of the real world through the camera with 50 percent greater resolution and support for auto-focus for an even sharper perspective.
- Expanded health record integration—Access your encrypted medical records from multiple providers in one place within the Health app, receive notifications for lab results, medications and much more.
- Business Chat—Announced at WWDC 2017, a new Business Chat feature allows users to communicate directly with businesses, as well as schedule an appointment or make purchases using Apple Pay, right within the stock Messages app.
- Apple Music—You will soon be able to stream all the ad-free music videos you want in the Music app. Watch the latest videos, the classics or ones from your favorite artists back-to-back in new music video playlists.
- Apple News—Stay up-to-date on the most important videos of the day with a new Video group in the For You section and enjoy improved Top Stories.
- HomeKit software authentication—Without requiring a special chip from Apple, accessory makers can now add HomeKit support to existing accessories with a simple firmware update.
- Advanced Mobile Location (AML)—iOS 11.3 can automatically send your current location when making a call to emergency services in countries where AML is supported.
A toggle to disable performance throttling on affected iPhones with older batteries will be in a future beta, and battery health stats will be added as well. To install the beta, install an appropriate Apple configuration profile for your iOS device from the company’s portal for developers, then restart the device and go to Settings > General > Software Update and install the iOS 11.3 beta over the air. Check out our guide on how to get and install a beta profile here.
Source: Apple
