A few days ago, Tech giant Apple previewed her next major software update for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. The company also released a beta version for developers ahead of its official release this spring.
iOS 11.3 brings new sets of Animoji to iPhone X, including a lion, bear, dragon, and skull. Aside from the existing Anomijis like a pig, fox, chicken, a pile of poo, and robot, iOS users will be able to choose from among the newly added 16 characters.
iOS 11.3 introduces ARKit 1.5 to developers, providing them with a more immersive AR experience. In addition to horizontal surfaces like tables and chairs, Apple’s updated augmented reality platform will now be able to recognize and place virtual objects on vertical surfaces like walls and doors, and more accurately map irregularly shaped surfaces like circular tables.
ARKit 1.5 can find and recognize the position of 2D images such as signs, posters, and artwork, and integrate these real-world images into augmented reality experiences, such as bringing a movie poster to life. In addition, the view of the “real world” will now be in 1080p HD, up from 720p currently.
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Another cool feature coming in the next major update is the Business Chat. The Business chat allows iPhone users to communicate directly with businesses within the Messages app. This feature will also come in the public release of iOS 11.3 this spring, with support from select businesses, including Discover, Hilton, Lowe’s, and Wells Fargo.
With Business Chat, users will find it easy to have a conversation with a service representative, schedule an appointment or make purchases using Apple Pay in the Messages app. Business Chat doesn’t share the user’s contact information with businesses and gives users the ability to stop chatting at any time.
In the Health app on iOS 11.3, users will be able to view health records, including available medical data from multiple providers like Johns Hopkins and Cedars-Sinai. The data is encrypted and protected with a passcode.
iOS 11.3 will provide users with an iPhone 6 or newer with more information about the health of their device’s battery, including a recommendation if it needs to be serviced. In the same menu, it will also be possible to see if Apple’s power management feature is active and turn it off if desired.
Apple promises a good battery and power management in the next major update. This features will not appear in the early beta release but will be coming in a later iOS 11.3 beta release.
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Other new iOS 11.3 features include more prominent placement of music videos in Apple Music, a new Video section in the “For You” tab of Apple News, and support for Advanced Mobile Location(AML) to automatically send a user’s current location when making a call to emergency services where supported.
The software update will be released to the public this spring for iPhone 5s and newer, all iPad Air and iPad Pro models, the fifth-generation iPad, iPad mini 2 and newer, and the sixth-generation iPod touch.