Submitted by Marshall Walker on
Apple caught everyone off guard on Monday by releasing the first iOS 9.3 beta filled with tons of new features. iOS 9.3 includes more than your typical amount of major upgrades normally found in a minor release. The update adds a new Touch ID security option for the Notes app, a Night Shift mode, new CarPlay features and more.
The Apple Music sections "For You" and "New" are now accessible through CarPlay. The New section gives CarPlay users access to Apple curated playlists, Top Songs and Albums and it includes a Recently Added option for locating newly added user created playlists. 9to5Mac made a quick video showcasing all the new Apple Music on CarPlay features in iOS 9.3. You can watch the video below.
The stock Notes app in iOS 9.3 includes the ability to protect your notes with a password or Touch ID. Users can tap the share button while in the Notes app to access the "Password Protect Notes" option. Once the password is set you will need to enter your password or use Touch ID anytime you try to open your Notes app. The Notes app has also been updated with new settings options. Users can choose to have their Notes sorted by Date Edited, Date Created or Title, and there is a new slider to "Save Media to Photos".
Apple has incorporated another jailbreak tweak into iOS. The new Night Shift mode in iOS 9.3 is a lot like f.lux. F.lux is a jailbreak utility that matches the lighting colors of your display based on the time of day. Apple's version allows you to set a schedule to warm up your display or you can have it change automatically from "Sunset to Sunrise." This has been a heavily requested feature on iOS devices for a long time.
Live Photos can be easily saved as still photos in iOS 9.3. Users will be able to select any Live photo in their library and use the "Duplicate as a Still Photo" to extract a still image from the moving picture.Other new features found in iOS 9.3 beta 1 include app shortcuts in the Wallet app, Activity data from the Apple Watch recorded in the Health app, better video integration in the News app and new 3D Touch Quick Actions for the App Store, Compass and Settings.