Everything new in iOS 11.3 beta 1

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iOS 11.3 Beta 1
iOS 11.3 Beta 1 adds Messages on iCloud, new Animojis and more.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple’s latest update for developers, iOS 11.3 beta 1, brings plenty of new features and tweaks. It’s available now. And while it’s just the first of many likely betas to come before the iOS 11.3 release this spring, it offers a glimpse of the future.

Check out our latest video to see all the latest changes in action.

iOS 11.3 beta 1 new features

Here’s a list of the changes we’ve found in the new iOS 11.3 beta:

  • iBooks gets renamed “Books.” Within the app, “All books” has been changed to “Library.” And “Select” has changed to “Edit.”
  • Privacy icon within Settings is blue instead of gray.
  • A new Privacy icon will appear when an Apple app or feature is asking to use personal information.
  • App Switcher animation on iPhone X is quicker.
  • Messages on iCloud arrives. It frees up space on iOS devices by storing all messages and attachments in the cloud. Deleted messages and conversations will disappear from all devices.
  • Four new Animoji characters come for iPhone X users: lion, dragon, skull and bear.
  • Some testers report that the Bluetooth icon within the Control Center disappears, although on our beta it’s still visible.
  • Updated Apple News App delivers personalized stories picked by Siri, plus updated Spotlight and search for particular stories.
  • Business Chat connects customers and businesses through messages.
  • Health records get added to the Health app.
  • Some testers report speed increases on older iOS devices, meaning Apple might have removed the controversial speed throttling feature that affected older phones with degraded batteries.

Speed control

One feature a lot of people are waiting to see in iOS is the ability to turn off the speed throttling of older iPhones. Unfortunately, such a toggle does appear not in this beta. However, Apple says it will be coming in a future update, along with the ability to check the health of the battery.

In iOS 11.3 beta 1, at least Apple turned off the throttling for now, so a lot of iPhone 6 users will be seeing their phones responding faster.

This iOS update is slated to be released to the public this spring, but there will be plenty of betas before then. So make sure to subscribe to the Cult of Mac YouTube channel to stay up-to-date with the latest videos.

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