Apple showcases changes coming in iOS 11.3

Apple releases updates to its software quite regularly, security updates, minor changes and now and then some new features – next month a new version hits and it seems packed with more than ever as far as new announcements goes.

Most of the focus on Apple externally relates to the expected changes to the Settings area around Battery health. With all the drama of the last few months Apple needs to add new features such as demonstrating current battery health and allowing users to opt in and out of the processor slowdown “feature” that has received so much attention.

For now though, that’s still just a work in progress – coming in a beta in the near future.
iOS 11.3 adds new features to show battery health and recommend if a battery needs to be serviced. These can be found in Settings -> Battery and are available for iPhone 6 and later.

Additionally, users can now see if the power management feature that dynamically manages maximum performance to prevent unexpected shutdowns, first introduced in iOS 10.2.1, is on and can choose to turn it off. This feature can be found in Settings -> Battery and is available for iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone SE, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus.

What we can see already are changes to some fun and useful areas of the operating system.

Firstly Animoji; Apple is adding four new characters – a lion, bear, dragon or skull – of course this is only for iPhone X owners – though Game of Thrones fans will have been excited to see this instagram post from one of the shows stars earlier today:

In Health Apple is bringing external data from your participating health care provider into the Apple Health app – all protected by your passcode – though it’s unlikely we’ll see that in Australia any time soon.

And in Augmented Reality there’s a new feature allowing ARKit enabled phones to “see” 2D images such as pictures on a wall and incorporate them into the AR experience.

All very exciting steps forward, but lets be honest, everyone is hanging out to see the actual Battery Health pages and options when that Beta release becomes available.