We’re not expecting iOS 16.3 to be ready for general release any time soon. Back in October, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman (opens in new tab) said that the iOS 16.3 update was slated for sometime between early February and the beginning of March. And given some of the features that have already popped up in the beta, tht timeline sounds about right to us. Thus far, only a handful of new features have emerged in the initial iOS 16.3 beta, but that’s likely to change as people have more time to dig into the software release and its code. For now, the highlight seems to be the addition of support for physical security keys to protect your Apple ID. Apple announced the feature (opens in new tab) a week ago at the same time it revealed the addition of Advanced Data Protection for iCloud. (That latter feature was included in iOS 16.2, at least for U.S. iPhone owners.) Physical security keys are meant to augment Apple’s existing two-factor authentication for Apple ID, particularly for iPhone owners whose public profile makes them likely targets for hackers. (Think celebrities, politicians and — looks around nervously — journalists.) When enabled, you’ll need a physical security key as one of the two factors for signing into your Apple ID account. During its security features announcement, Apple said security keys for Apple ID would roll out globally in early 2023, putting the feature in line with iOS 16.3’s likely release date. In addition to security key support, 9to5Mac reports (opens in new tab) an enhancement to the Handoff feature that transfers control of music playback from an iPhone to a HomePod speaker, a feature that’s existed for a while. iOS 16.3 reportedly introduces a new guide that more clearly shows HomePod owners how to use the Handoff capability. We’d anticipate more features emerging throughout the iOS 16.3 beta process. Previously announced iOS 16 features that have yet to appear in any of Apple’s updates since the September release of the latest iPhone software version include Apple Music Classical, a dedicated classical music app first promised a year ago, and Apple Pay Later, which will let you split payments into four installments using Apple’s payment service. We’re also waiting on a Custom Accessibility Mode, hinted at during the iOS 16.2 betas, that gives you the ability to streamline the home screen and boost the size of text and controls. Finally, we’d expect Advanced Data Protection to roll out to other parts of the world, and since Apple is promising that will happen in early 2023, iOS 16.3 seems like a good way to introduce that feature. Developers will get first crack at the iOS 16.3 beta; a version could reach Apple’s public beta program for iOS before the end of this year.
