Apple Seeds Third Beta of iOS 9.3 to Developers

ios93Apple today seeded the third beta of an upcoming iOS 9.3 update to developers for testing purposes, two weeks after seeding the second iOS 9.3 beta and two months after the public release of iOS 9.2. iOS 9.3 has been in testing since January 11.

The third iOS 9.3 beta is available as an over-the-air update and through the iOS section of the Apple Developer Center.

As a major .1 update to the iOS 9 operating system, iOS 9.3 introduces several new features. There's a Night Shift mode to reduce the amount of blue light iOS users are exposed to in the evening by shifting the iPad or iPhone display to a warmer (yellower) color spectrum, and there are several features designed to improve the iPad for Education program, such as multi-user login.


Multiple apps and features are also seeing updates in iOS 9.3. Apple News includes more personalized recommendations, faster updates, a landscape view on the iPhone, and support for in-line video, while Health includes a new Apple Watch-style "Activity" view and Notes has an option to password protect individual entries.

Apple Music for CarPlay offers "New" and "For You" sections for better music discovery, and a Nearby Feature in CarPlay Maps offers more information about what's close by. Paired with watchOS 2.2, an iPhone running iOS 9.3 is able to support multiple Apple Watches, and for iPhone 6s users, there are new Quick Actions for Weather, Settings, Compass, Health, App Store, and iTunes Store.

The second iOS 9.3 beta added a Control Center toggle for the Night Shift feature, and new additions in the third iOS 9.3 beta will be listed below.

What's new in iOS 9.3 beta 3:

Verizon Wi-Fi calling - The third beta of iOS 9.3 adds Wi-Fi calling for Verizon users, allowing them to place calls over a wireless connection when cellular connectivity is poor.

T-Mobile bug fix - Today's beta includes a carrier update for T-Mobile users, fixing a bug that prevented apps from loading over a cellular connection.

Tag: iOS 9.3
Related Forum: iOS 9

Popular Stories

iOS 26

iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Tuesday February 3, 2026 7:47 am PST by
We are still waiting for the iOS 26.3 Release Candidate to come out, so the first iOS 26.4 beta is likely still at least a week or two away. Following beta testing, iOS 26.4 will likely be released to the general public in March or April. Below, we have recapped known or rumored iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 features so far. iOS 26.3 iPhone to Android Transfer Tool iOS 26.3 makes it easier...
Apple Logo Black

Apple's Next Launch is 'Imminent'

Sunday February 1, 2026 12:31 pm PST by
The calendar has turned to February, and a new report indicates that Apple's next product launch is "imminent," in the form of new MacBook Pro models. "All signs point to an imminent launch of next-generation MacBook Pros that retain the current form factor but deliver faster chips," Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said on Sunday. "I'm told the new models — code-named J714 and J716 — are slated...
iOS 26 Home Feature

Apple Gives Final Warning to Home App Users

Tuesday February 3, 2026 8:55 am PST by
In 2022, Apple introduced a new Apple Home architecture that is "more reliable and efficient," and the deadline to upgrade and avoid issues is fast approaching. In an email this week, Apple gave customers a final reminder to upgrade their Home app by February 10, 2026. Apple says users who do not upgrade may experience issues with accessories and automations, or lose access to their smart...
Aston Martin CarPlay Ultra Screen

Apple's CarPlay Ultra to Expand to These Vehicle Brands Later This Year

Sunday February 1, 2026 10:08 am PST by
Last year, Apple launched CarPlay Ultra, the long-awaited next-generation version of its CarPlay software system for vehicles. Nearly nine months later, CarPlay Ultra is still limited to Aston Martin's latest luxury vehicles, but that should change fairly soon. In May 2025, Apple said many other vehicle brands planned to offer CarPlay Ultra, including Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis. In his Powe...
Apple Foldable Thumb

First Foldable iPhone Design Details Revealed

Monday February 2, 2026 7:19 am PST by
Apple's first foldable iPhone will feature relocated volume buttons, an all-black camera plateau, a smaller Dynamic Island, and more, according to design leaks from a known Weibo leaker. The user known as "Instant Digital" today claimed to share several key details about the design of the foldable iPhone: The volume buttons will be located on the top edge of the device, aligned to the...

Top Rated Comments

LordQ Avatar
130 months ago
Hopefully they changed the 'lemon' icon to a lamp!
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Jsameds Avatar
130 months ago
When will it let us delete all this "Bloat Ware" ????
The most Pointless and overhyped request IMO.

At this point is so much effort to re-code iOS so you can delete some apps and save what, a grand total of 100MB? I'd rather the software engineers at Apple focus their efforts on something that's actually worthwhile. Add a "hide" feature, that's all we really need, and very little coding required in order to do so so it's not a massive waste of resources.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Enygmatic Avatar
130 months ago
Design is not an opinion. How big our hands are, how big a thumb is, how much we can memorize, how our eyes react to blue bright light after sunset. These are all biological facts and good design takes them into account. Icons exist for good reason and a good icon for Night Shift is a metaphor for light in the dark. You can't go better than bedside lamp. And that's a fact. Make a focus group and test it, if you don't believe me. The people will not get what the eye-halfmoon-lemon is supposed to mean.
I don't doubt your taste, just your understanding of what "fact", "opinion", "subjective" and "objective" mean.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
\-V-/ Avatar
130 months ago
Design is not an opinion. How big our hands are, how big a thumb is, how much we can memorize, how our eyes react to blue bright light after sunset. These are all biological facts and good design takes them into account. Icons exist for good reason and a good icon for Night Shift is a metaphor for light in the dark. You can't go better than bedside lamp. And that's a fact. Make a focus group and test it, if you don't believe me. The people will not get what the eye-halfmoon-lemon is supposed to mean.
Your thoughts on what the icon should be is ... in fact ... 100% ... an opinion.

Design is also opinion-based, since design is subjective.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kch50428 Avatar
130 months ago
Public betas never come out the same day as developer betas *eyeroll*
Yeah, they do... 9.3 beta 2 did.... *double eyeroll*
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
chucker23n1 Avatar
130 months ago
Seeing that 9.3 logo I hope iOS 10 gets rid of all vestiges of the 7-9 look and returns back to an elegant look.
You mean "elegant" like this?



Cheesy, childish, trendy was never Apple. At least not under SJ. Things just really fell apart past after he left.
Uh-huh.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)