Apple today sent the third betas of iOS 16 and iPadOS 16 to developers for testing, and as expected, the betas refine some of the features that Apple added in ‌iOS 16‌, and there also has some new additions. Everything new in the third beta of ‌iOS 16‌ is covered below.
History of atrial fibrillation
Apple in ‌iOS 16‌ and watchOS 9 is adding an AFib history feature for those who suffer from atrial fibrillation, with the aim of tracking how long a person has had atrial fibrillation and how often. In ‌iOS 16‌ beta 3, AFib History section has been added to the Health app and AFib feature is enabled in ‌watchOS 9‌ beta 3. For now, AFib History is limited to those in the United States.
iCloud Shared Photo Library
The third beta of ‌iOS 16‌ introduces support for iCloud Shared Photo Library, which is designed to make it easier for you to share photos with friends and family members. You can invite up to five people to share a photo library with you, and all participants can add, delete, and edit images.
Lock mode
Added as an extreme security measure, Lock Mode is available in ‌iOS 16‌, ‌iPadOS 16‌, and macOS Ventura. This is an optional security feature that is intended to protect a small number of high-level users who are exposed to targeted cyberattacks by state-sponsored spyware.
Lockdown mode is intended for journalists, activists, government employees, and others who may be targeted by sophisticated cyberattacks. It’s not for the everyday user and it limits many iPhone features. In Messages, for example, attachments other than pictures are blocked, and in FaceTime, calls from people you haven’t contacted yet are blocked.
Complex web technologies and browsing features are blocked in web browsers, shared albums are removed from the Photos app, wired connections are blocked, and configuration profiles cannot be installed. You can find more information about lock mode in our article describing the feature.
Lock screen time font
There are now 12 fonts to choose from on the ‌iOS 16‌ Customizable Lock Screen right now, including an option that’s thinner than previous fonts and another that’s a thicker version of the previously available serif font.
Calendar lock screen widget
For privacy reasons, the Calendar Lock Screen widget no longer provides details about the next upcoming event when the ‌iPhone‌ is locked. It scrambles information until the ‌iPhone‌ is unlocked by its owner.
Reminders
There’s a new “Include Due Today” option in the Settings section of the Reminders app. It’s designed to include both overdue and due today items in the badge count, rather than just items due today.
Earth lock screen wallpaper
With Earth Lock Screen wallpaper, widgets will no longer block the view of the earth. The Earth image moves down when widgets are in use, and up if there are no widgets placed. In previous beta versions, widgets overlapped.
iOS version interface update
In the Settings app under About > iOS version, if you tap on the version number, the interface has been updated. It’s simpler and no longer a pop-up card, and there’s no longer a link to Apple’s security website.
Clownfish Wallpaper
Some iOS 16‌ users who have the third beta installed are seeing a Clownfish wallpaper option. This wallpaper was on the original ‌iPhone‌ when it was introduced by Steve Jobs in 2007, but it was never officially launched. It doesn’t appear for everyone, but it might be added as a wallpaper option in a future beta.
Some users seem to be seeing a new Clownfish wallpaper in iOS 16 beta 3. This is the wallpaper Steve Jobs used when announcing the original iPhone in 2007, but it has no never came with an iPhone. Here we are 15 years later. https://t.co/OLTvb1KVJG — Mark Gurman (@markgurman) July 6, 2022
Manager
On the iPad there is a new start screen for the Stage Manager function. There are also new tutorials to show you how to use it, plus an updated multitasking menu with improved labeling.
iCloud Start Screen
When you choose an iCloud+ subscription option, a new splash screen explains the features.
Virtual card support
‌iOS 16‌ adds virtual card support for shopping with Safari. Some banks and card providers allow customers to generate virtual card numbers (similar to how the Apple Card works) to use online to avoid having their credit card details stolen. Safari in ‌iOS 16‌ will support this feature based on beta code.
Other New Features
Know of a new feature in ‌iOS 16‌ beta 3 that we left out? Let us know in the comments below.
