These New iPhone Features Are Coming in iOS 26.3

There’s an iPhone replace in your close to future. On Wednesday, Apple launched iOS 26.3 RC to beta testers. That is iOS 26.3’s “launch candidate,” or the model of the working system that Apple intends to launch to most people—assuming beta testers discover no main bugs or glitches with the replace. Apple’s newest iteration of the iPhone OS may not be monumental by most requirements, but it surely does embrace some noteworthy new options.

We do not know precisely when iOS 26.3 will drop, however here is what you may look forward to finding as soon as Apple does launch it.

iOS 26.3 make it simpler to switch your iPhone knowledge to Android

Again in December, we learned about a small but substantial new iOS feature: Apple is working immediately with Google on an official option to make transferring between an iPhone and an Android system extra seamless. In iOS’ “Switch or Reset iPhone” settings, there’s now a brand new “Switch to Android” choice. Faucet it, and iOS instructs you to put your iPhone close to your Android system; from there, you may select to cross alongside knowledge like pictures, messages, notes, and apps. Nonetheless, it appears not all knowledge will switch: Well being knowledge, gadgets paired with Bluetooth, and “protected objects” like locked notes won’t come together with this switch characteristic.

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This does not simply go a technique: Android customers can have the same choice on their finish to switch to iPhone. However these of us updating our iPhones to iOS 26.3 now have a better escape route if we choose to switch platforms.

You’ll be able to restrict exact location sharing in iOS 26.3 (in case you have Increase Cell)

With iOS 26.3, Apple is giving sure customers the flexibility to cease sharing their exact location with their mobile community suppliers. The brand new characteristic, “Limit Precise Location,” reduces the exactness of the placement knowledge that’s shared with mobile networks. That approach, the community can decide your normal location, however not your exact location. What meaning in sensible phrases, a minimum of in response to Apple, is that the community would possibly know what neighborhood you are in, however not the precise avenue tackle.

Right now, solely Increase Cell customers within the U.S. will be capable of use this characteristic with iOS 26.3. It additionally solely works with some iOS gadgets, together with the iPhone Air, iPhone 16e, and iPad Professional M5 Wi-Fi + Mobile. Hopefully, this may make its option to extra mobile plans and extra iPhones sooner or later, however for now, it is a fairly restricted characteristic. Whereas most of us will not be capable of restrict exact location sharing with the community, we can at least stop apps from harvesting this data.

“Climate” and “Astronomy” get their very own wallpaper part in iOS 26.3

Discuss a small replace: With iOS 26.3, Apple is breaking “Climate” and “Astronomy” into their very own wallpaper sections. (Beforehand, these two classes have been paired.) Whereas Astronomy options the usual house wallpapers present in iOS 26.2 and earlier, Climate now options three preset wallpapers, with totally different font choices and climate widgets.

Notification forwarding is coming to iOS (within the E.U. solely)

Back in September, we realized Apple was quietly engaged on some sort of notification forwarding characteristic, however apart from that fundamental performance, the small print have been left to hypothesis. On the time, the frequent assumption was that Apple supposed the characteristic for use to ahead notifications to third-party gadgets, particularly smartwatches, in an try to open up the platform to wearables apart from the Apple Watch. This would not be Apple’s selection, in fact—left to its personal gadgets, the corporate would maintain as many options locked to Apple gadgets as doable. As a substitute, the motivation would come from the E.U, which has compelled Apple to make its platforms extra cooperative with third-party gadgets.

Because it occurs, this characteristic is launching with iOS 26.3—albeit, solely within the E.U. (With the primary iOS 26.3 beta, Apple added a “Notification Forwarding” choice in Notification settings for all iPhones. They’ve since eliminated this selection, because the characteristic is EU-only.) Whereas the choice is not dwell right now, Apple does have an outline for a way the characteristic works, saying that notifications may be forwarded to at least one system at a time. Importantly, the outline says that when notifications are forwarded to a different system, they won’t seem in your Apple Watch. Is that limitation actually mandatory, Apple?

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E.U. iPhone customers are additionally getting another interesting feature with iOS 26.3. The brand new replace will permit customers to pair third-party equipment with their iPhones by bringing the gadgets shut collectively, much like how pairing AirPods to iPhones works. Builders might want to add this performance to their gadgets earlier than this works, in fact, however the brand new replace makes it doable.

Bug fixes and safety patches

Apple sometimes bundles its characteristic updates, like iOS 26.3, with stability patches, together with for bugs and safety vulnerabilities. Till the replace is official, nonetheless, we can’t know precisely what points are patched. I am going to replace this piece as soon as iOS 26.3 is right here, and Apple discloses watch bugs and vulnerabilities have been squashed this go round.

Watch out for working betas in your iPhone

iOS 26.3 is sort of right here, however it’s nonetheless technically in beta. Anybody can enroll their device in Apple’s beta program to offer 26.3 a attempt. Nonetheless, know the dangers earlier than you do. Unfinished software program might include bugs and glitches that would impression your expertise utilizing your iPhone. These dangers are at the moment at their lowest inside this beta cycle, since that is Apple’s launch candidate, however that does not imply it is risk-free. If the software program is especially glitchy, you possibly can lose knowledge when downgrading again to iOS 26.2. In case you do determine to put in the beta, make a complete backup of your iPhone to a Mac or PC earlier than you do.