These new features for iPhone are arriving in iOS 16.3 next week

Apple claims that iOS 16.3 will be released next week. Although it is a minor update in comparison to other updates that Apple has released over the past few months, this update entered beta testing for the first time in December and includes a few new features and changes.

What has changed with iOS 16.3?

In a press release announcing a variety of ways the company will commemorate Black History Month this year, Apple confirmed the release date of iOS 16.3. The drives incorporate another Solidarity backdrop for iPhone as well as a Solidarity face for your Apple Watch.

According to Apple, both your iPhone and Apple Watch must be running iOS 16.3 and watchOS 9.3 respectively. Again, these updates are in beta testing at the moment, but Apple claims that everything will be updated sometime “next week.”

• The Unity 2023 watch face will be available next week. It requires an iPhone 8 or later and an iPhone SE (2nd generation) or later running iOS 16.3, as well as an Apple Watch Series 4 or later running watchOS 9.3.
• The new Unity iPhone lock screen wallpaper, which will also be available next week, requires an iPhone 8 or later running iOS 16.3.

In addition to the Black History Month-themed watch face and wallpaper, iOS 16.3 includes a few other improvements and features. Here is a brief summary:

• Keys for Apple ID security: For your Apple ID, you can now use a physical hardware security key as the second level of authentication.
• Modifications to the operation of “Call with Hold” for Emergency SOS: Even after the countdown, the iPhone will now wait until you release the buttons before calling emergency services.
• As can be seen, iOS 16.3 beta demonstrates how to use Handoff from an iPhone to a HomePod. This is a relatively minor release that does not introduce many new features or changes for iPhone users. Given that the update hasn’t been in beta testing for as long as usual, that shouldn’t come as a surprise.

We anticipate that iOS 16.4 beta testing will begin almost immediately following iOS 16.3’s release. We are still waiting on a few features that Apple has already announced: Outside of the United States, Apple Card Savings Account, Apple Pay Later, Apple Music Classical, and Advanced Data Protection for iCloud are available.