As promised last week, Apple today released iOS 16.3 to all supported devices. If you have a compatible iPhone and it hasn’t notified you about the update yet, you can get it by going to Settings > General > Software Update. That’s the beauty of Apple’s rollouts, they’re not staged.
The new version comes with support for Apple ID security keys, allowing for physical two-factor authentication for Apple ID logins. You also get a new Unity wallpaper and support for the just-revealed second-generation HomePod.
The Emergency SOS function has been adjusted to prevent accidental calls – you activate it by holding down the side button with the volume up or down button together, but the call will not be made until the buttons are released.
Of course, there’s also an assortment of bug fixes, including an issue in Freeform where some strokes created with a finger or Apple Pencil wouldn’t appear on shared boards, an issue that caused the wallpaper to appear black on the lock screen, a issue that made horizontal lines appear temporarily while waking the iPhone 14 Pro Max, and one that prevented the Home app’s lock screen widget from showing accurate status.
An issue that caused Siri to not respond correctly to music requests has also been addressed, as have issues with Siri requests in CarPlay that may not have been understood correctly.
For those still using iOS 15, Apple has also released iOS 15.7.3, and for those with a much older device stuck on iOS 12, there’s iOS 12.5.7, both security updates that you should probably install before rather than later.
Finally, watchOS 9.3 is now live and it comes with a new watch face as well as unnamed performance improvements and bug fixes. This is available through the Apple Watch app on the iPhone.
