Apple today seeded the first betas of upcoming iOS 15.3 and iPadOS 15.3 updates to developers for testing purposes, with the new software coming four days after the launch of iOS 15.2 and iPadOS 15.2
iOS and iPadOS 15.3 can be downloaded thru the Apple Developer Center or over the air after the ideal profile has been set up on an iPhone or an iPad.
iOS 15.3 leaked earlier today after it was discovered that hyperlinks have been blanketed however hidden on Apple’s developer downloads page, suggesting the beta was once planned for release yesterday alongside the first macOS 12.2 beta, however, held again for unknown reasons.
We do not but know what may be included in the new iOS and iPadOS 15.3 updates, however, our initial seem at the downloads suggests that adjustments are minor. There are a few aspects that Apple has but to implement, such as Universal Control and assist for IDs in the Wallet app. Universal Control will let more than one Mac and iPads be controlled with the identical keyboard and mouse, and Apple lately stated that the function will come out in the spring. Based on a lack of signs of these aspects in this first beta, it seems Apple will keep off on support for them till iOS 15.4.
As for digital IDs in the Wallet app, that’s something that has been in the works since June. Arizona, Georgia, Connecticut, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Oklahoma, and Utah are expected to be the first states to implement digital ID support, and Florida is also in talks to support the feature.
In addition to iOS 15.3, Apple is also working on watchOS 8.4 and tvOS 15.3. Hidden code on Apple’s website suggests that all betas were expected to be released along with macOS 12.2 beta on December 16, but it’s unclear why the company was holding off on the other betas.
These are the build numbers of all the new betas:
- iOS 15.3 beta 1: 19D5026g
- watchOS 8.4 beta 1: 19S5525f
- tvOS 15.3 beta 1: 19K5527e
- macOS Monterey 12.2 beta 1: 21D5025f
What’s new in these betas?
9to5Mac was able to download, analyze, and even install multiple builds of iOS 15.3 beta 1. However, there don’t seem to be many new things in these builds. More specifically, there are some internal changes related to Siri APIs and a few tweaks to Apple apps like News, but overall, iOS 15.3 beta 1 only comes with bug fixes and general improvements.
We were unable to analyze the watchOS 8.4 and tvOS 15.3 betas as these can only be downloaded via OTA.
When will these betas be released to the public?
The betas are now officially available to developers. As for the public release, the download URL for the hidden builds contains “Winter2022,” which suggests that Apple expects to release them sometime between January and March of next year.
This also corroborates that the long-awaited Universal Control feature will take even longer to be released, as Apple recently delayed it until spring 2022. The feature is likely to be enabled with iOS 15.4 and macOS Monterey 12.3.
