iOS 14 has been a bit of a mixed bag. The new features are great, and overall it hasn’t suffered any major show-stopping bugs, but it’s been plagued by a lot of little annoying bugs.
The other day Apple posted the release candidate of iOS 14.3 to developers, and based on my testing, it looks good, and it seems to solve a number of issues beyond what’s mentioned in the release notes.
Must read: Best of the best gadgets of 2020
When’s iOS 14.3 going to be released?
iOS 14.3 is set to be released December 14, the day that Fitness+ is released, and a day before the AirPods Max are released.
What does iOS 14.3 bring?
A lot. I’ve added the full release notes below, but here are some highlights:
- Fitness+ support (this cost $9.99 per month, or comes as part of Apple One Premier service)
- ProRAW support for iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max
- AirPods max support
- Privacy summary information for apps
- New Apple TV+ tab
- Ability to launch App Clip apps by scanning App Clip Codes
- More categories in Health
- More Weather data
- Ecosia search engine added as an option
What about bug fixes?
Yes, lots.
The release notes highlight many, but testing carried out on the public betas of iOS 14.3 suggests it helps with performance and battery issues too.
What should I do before installing it?
Here’s what I do:
- Make sure you have a backup (most don’t, and millions get away without one, but I regularly hear from people who were unlucky)
- It’s a good idea to make sure all your apps are updated ahead of installing the update
- I like to make space before installing a new update, and find it a great time to get rid of any apps I’m not using anymore
- It’s likely to be a big update, so you’ll need the bandwidth for it and don’t do it when in a rush
Should I install or wait for iOS 14.3.1?
The eternal question — install now or wait for the fixes? Based on the testing I and others have done, iOS 14.3 seems pretty stable, and unless it contains some last-minute showstopper, will be the last release we see until 2021.
If you’re suffering from iOS 14 bugs, going to iOS 14.3 may be a good gamble. If you’d rather keep everything as is for now, and the new features don’t interest you, you could wait until the new year.
My guess is that many users will be smashing that update button as soon as it’s out.
What other updates will land at the same time?
iPadOS 14.3 and macOS Big Sur 11.1.
Full iOS 14.3 release notes
Apple Fitness+
- A new fitness experience powered by Apple Watch with studio-style workouts available on your iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV (Apple Watch Series 3 and later)
- New Fitness app on iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV to browse Fitness+ workouts, trainers, and personalized recommendations
- Video workouts added each week in ten popular workout types: High Intensity Interval Training, Indoor Cycling, Yoga, Core, Strength, Dance, Rowing, Treadmill Walking, Treadmill Running, and Mindful Cooldown
- Playlists curated by Fitness+ trainers to complement your workout
- Fitness+ subscription available in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, United Kingdom, and United States
AirPods Max
- Support for AirPods Max, new over-ear headphones
- High fidelity audio for rich sound
- Adaptive EQ adapts sound in real time to the personal fit of ear cushions
- Active Noise Cancellation to block out environmental noise
- Transparency mode to hear the environment around you
- Spatial audio with dynamic head tracking for a theater-like listening experience
Photos
- Apple ProRAW photos can be captured on iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max
- Apple ProRAW photos can be edited in the Photos app
- Option to record video at 25 fps
- Mirror the front facing camera for still photos on iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone SE, iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X
Privacy
- New privacy information section on App Store pages that includes a developer-reported summary of the app’s privacy practices
TV app
- An all-new Apple TV+ tab makes it easy to discover and watch Apple Original shows and movies
- Enhanced search so you can browse by category such as genre, and see recent searches and suggestions as you type
- Top search results shown with the most relevant matches across movies, TV shows, cast, channels, and sports
App Clips
- Support for launching App Clips by scanning Apple-designed App Clip Codes via Camera or from Control Center
Health
- Ability to indicate pregnancy, lactation, or contraceptive use in Cycle Tracking in the Health app in order to better manage period and fertile window predictions
Weather
- Air quality data is now available in Weather, Maps, and Siri for locations in China mainland
- Air quality health recommendations are provided in Weather and Siri for the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, India, and Mexico at certain air quality levels
- Air quality data in Weather, Maps, and Siri reflects updated national scales for Germany and Mexico
Safari
- Ecosia search engine option in Safari
This release also addresses the following issues:
- Some MMS messages may not be received
- Contact groups failed to display members when composing a message
- Some videos would not appear correctly when shared from the Photos app
- App folders may fail to open
- Spotlight search results, and opening apps from Spotlight may not work
- Bluetooth could be unavailable in Settings
- MagSafe Duo Charger could wirelessly charge your iPhone at less than the maximum power
- Wireless accessories and peripherals using the WAC protocol could fail to complete setup
- The keyboard would dismiss when adding a list in Reminders while using VoiceOver
