How to install iOS 16.3

iOS 16.3 and iPadOS 16.3 are available to all iPhone and iPad models starting today. You can update by heading to the Settings app, choosing General, and then choosing Software Update. If you don’t see the update right away, be sure to keep checking as it can sometimes take a few minutes to hit every iPhone and iPad. The updates are expected to be available to everyone within the hour.

Once you begin the installation process, your iPhone or iPad will download the update, then prompt you to reboot your device to finish the process. Keep in mind your device will be unusable while it reboots to install the update.

Apple is also rolling out iOS 15.7.3 for older iPhones that do not support iOS 16, as well as iOS 12.5.7 for devices that do not support iOS 13 or newer.

What’s new in iOS 16.3?

Here are the new features in iOS 16.3:

• New Unity wallpaper honors Black history and culture in celebration of Black History Month
• Security Keys for Apple ID allow users to strengthen the security of their account by requiring a physical security key as part of the two factor authentication sign in process on new devices
• Support for HomePod (2nd generation)
• Emergency SOS calls now require holding the side button with the up or down volume button and then releasing in order to prevent inadvertent emergency calls

The update also includes some bug fixes and improvements for iPhone users:

• Fixes an issue in Freeform where some drawing strokes created with Apple Pencil or your finger may not appear on shared boards
• Addresses an issue where the wallpaper may appear black on the Lock Screen
• Fixes an issue where horizontal lines may temporarily appear while waking up iPhone 14 Pro Max
• Fixes an issue where the Home Lock Screen widget does not accurately display Home app status
• Addresses an issue where Siri may not respond properly to music requests
• Resolves issues where Siri requests in CarPlay may not be understood correctly

No iPhone update is complete without some improvement to the camera system, and the iPhone 15 will not be an exception. According to Nikkei Asia, Apple will rely on new sensor technology from Sony to deliver better photography with the iPhone 15.

Today’s report claims Sony’s latest sensor technology “roughly doubles the saturation signal level in each pixel” to deliver higher dynamic range than existing iPhone camera systems.

The result should be fewer photos that are oversaturated or undersaturated when there’s a huge difference between brightness in the foreground and background.

Sony’s new image sensor roughly doubles the saturation signal level in each pixel compared with conventional sensors. In other words, the sensors can capture more light and reduce overexposure or underexposure in certain settings, enabling a smartphone camera to clearly photograph a person’s face even if the subject is standing against a strong backlight.

The report goes on to explain that Sony’s latest sensor tech uses a “new semiconductor architecture which places photodiodes and transistors in separate substrate layers, allowing the sensor to add more photodiodes to the dedicated layer.”

iPhone 15 Pro will especially be a significant camera upgrade next fall. Apple is expected to introduce its first periscope lens that’s capable of delivering more optical zoom with a 90 degrees mirror system.

All iPhone 15 models are expected to switch to USB-C from Lightning, and Pro models may deliver Thunderbolt transfer speeds for moving large photo and video files quickly.

Each new iPhone 15 model will likely feature the Dynamic Island introduced on this year’s iPhone 14 Pro, but only Pro models are expected to have ProMotion and Always-On display again next year.

More recently, talk of a potential iPhone 15 Ultra with a titanium casing and a curved rear side has started. …

The latest on Apple’s AR/VR headset

In the latest edition of his Power On newsletter, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman runs through some of the areas Apple is focusing on as the potential 2023 release approaches.

First off, Gurman says that the development of the first version of the operating system that will run on the mixed-reality headset, codenamed Oak, “is wrapping up internally.” As such, it “should be ready for the new hardware next year,” Gurman says.

While Apple has drastically cut down on hiring amid broader economic uncertainty, the company is still on the lookout for people to join the teams working on the mixed-reality headset and other AR/VR technologies. Apple continues to make changes to the team working on the headset, which is Apple’s “Technology Development Group,” commonly referred to as TDG.

A few job listings indicate that Apple is ramping up its work to bolster the device with content. The company is searching for a software producer with experience in visual effects and game asset pipelines who can create digital content for augmented- and virtual-reality environments.

The listings also imply that Apple is looking to build a video service for the headset featuring 3D content that can be played in virtual reality.

Apple’s job listings also emphasize that the company wants to bring third-party apps to its mixed-reality headset. The company is looking for engineers to “work on the App Intents framework to help design and implement solutions” for things like Shortcuts, Search, Siri, and more.

Perhaps most notably, one job listing for the Technology Development Group targets engineers to work on building “tools and frameworks to enable connected experiences in a 3D mixed-reality world.” As Gurman points out, this sounds like “a virtual environment that is similar to the metaverse.”

You will work closely with Apple’s UI framework, human interface designers and system capabilities teams—pushing you to think outside-the-box, and solve incredibly challenging and interesting problems in the 3D application space.

Apple has also recruited Dave Scott, a former Apple senior manager who worked on the company’s Project Titan self-driving car team until 2021. On the Project Titan team, Scott was responsible for leading teams “working on robotics related to the car,” but he departed to briefly serve as the CEO of a healthcare startup.

Given Scott’s work in medical and robotics technology, Bloomberg says that his “involvement could suggest some health applications for the headset.”

Apple has also shifted engineers working on other projects to the headset team. One such example is 20-year Apple veteran Yaniv Gur, a senior director of engineering.

Before joining the headset group, Gur oversaw engineering for the iWork apps (Pages, Keynote and Numbers), in addition to the Books, Notes and News apps across the company’s platforms. The headset team already has an operating system chief, Geoff Stahl, so Gur’s appointment suggests to me that the company is developing a suite of productivity apps for the headset.

The current expectation is that Apple will announce some form of its mixed-reality headset in 2023, but it’s expected to be very expensive. The first version likely won’t target mass consumers, instead focused on “pro” users and developers.