Apple launches iOS 8.3 with new emoji characters, wireless CarPlay & more

Posted:
in iPhone edited April 2015
Apple on Wednesday issued the final release of iOS 8.3, adding features such as new emoji characters, Siri improvements, and wireless CarPlay support, alongside a multitude of bugfixes and minor interface tweaks.




The update's new emoji picker organizes icons into categories, adds more family options, and lets people pick from several different skin tones. It also incorporates new flags and characters for the iMac, iPhone, and Apple Watch.

Siri upgrades include new accents and languages, and the ability to make calls using an iPhone's speakerphone. Wireless CarPlay support allows an iPhone to connect to a dashboard unit without a Lightning cable, while features like movie showtimes and sports scores are now available to users in Brazil, Denmark, India, Netherlands, New Zealand, Russia, Sweden, Thailand, and Turkey.

Several built-in apps have been tweaked. Passbook for instance now divides Apple Pay content from Passes, while Messages can optionally separate threads from contacts and unknown senders, or automatically report spam. The spacebar in iOS' built-in keyboard has been stretched out, and an App Store setting lets users turn off password requirements for free downloads.

Behind the scenes the update includes "improved performance" for many different elements, such as Wi-Fi, Messages, Control Center, Safari tabs, third-party keyboards, and launching and using apps.

Release notes detail dozens of bugfixes. Some of the eliminated problems include Wi-Fi and Bluetooth disconnections, screen rotation issues, Maps failing to appear in CarPlay, and glitches with enterprise and accessibility support. With the release of both iOS 8.3 and OS X 10.10.3, Apple also notes that iCloud Photo Library is out of beta.

The update is available for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch through iTunes, or as an over-the-air software update. Also available is an Apple TV update with general bug fixes.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 84
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    Snappier?
  • Reply 2 of 84
    brlawyerbrlawyer Posts: 828member
    Anything else of note other than useless emojis?
  • Reply 3 of 84
    Quote:


     Improved Performance for:


    App launch


    App responsiveness


    Messages


    Wi-Fi


    Control Center


    Safari tabs


    3rd-party keyboards


    Keyboard shortcuts


    Simplified Chinese keyboard


     


     

    There's a ton of fixes as well, actually. A ton, this is a big update.

  • Reply 4 of 84

    Any fix for bluetooth issues?

  • Reply 5 of 84
    slurpyslurpy Posts: 5,382member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by brlawyer View Post



    Anything else of note other than useless emojis?

     

    Quote:

     
    Improved Performance for:


    App launch


    App responsiveness


    Messages


    Wi-Fi


    Control Center


    Safari tabs


    3rd-party keyboards


    Keyboard shortcuts


    Simplified Chinese keyboard



     

    No, absolutely nothing. The damn headline of the article even answered your useless question. 

  • Reply 6 of 84
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    slurpy wrote: »

    No, absolutely nothing.
    Seriously, you're probably the most horrific and worst troll on this board. 

    With any luck and the attention of a mod, he'll soon join Frosty in Bannedville.
  • Reply 7 of 84

    Apple's CDN is getting pounded as you'd expect, I had to wait about three minutes before my iPhone could pull down the update. Download times are okay though.

  • Reply 8 of 84
    magman1979magman1979 Posts: 1,292member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by brlawyer View Post



    Anything else of note other than useless emojis?



    STFU you god damned troll! This update has the most bug fixes I've ever seen for an iOS update, and you come out with stupid bullshit like that?

     

    Fucking idiot.

  • Reply 9 of 84
    magman1979magman1979 Posts: 1,292member

    Downloading 8.3 for my iPhone 5S now via iTunes, started out with blistering speed, now it's gone down to a nose bleed :(

     

    Can't wait to try this puppy out, it has a HUGE list of bug fixes across the board!

  • Reply 10 of 84
    pujones1pujones1 Posts: 222member
    There's a ton of fixes as well, actually. A ton, this is a big update.

    Good. I was starting to notice some bugs that were becoming annoying. My phone would hang sometimes. Very unusual.
  • Reply 11 of 84
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by MagMan1979 View Post

     

    This update has the most bug fixes I've ever seen for an iOS update,


    It really does. This is like a whole new version of iOS, and I can see why they worked on it in tandem with 8.2. They probably did 8.2 just in case 8.3 had to be delayed past the Watch launch.

     

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Pujones1 View Post





    Good. I was starting to notice some bugs that were becoming annoying. My phone would hang sometimes. Very unusual.



    It's like, pages of fixes. This is like Tim said "I WANT EVERY SINGLE BUG IN IOS FIXED BY 8.3".

     

    And so it was done.

     

    My iPad's updated and working fine. I think it freed up a little more space too, which is great on a 16GB device.

  • Reply 12 of 84
    leeroyleeroy Posts: 27member
    Snappier?

    It feels snappier but haven't done any tests to compare. Downloaded and installed fast , no hiccups at all so far
  • Reply 13 of 84
    jusephejusephe Posts: 108member
    I thought it's comming right after OSX 10.3
  • Reply 14 of 84
    slurpyslurpy Posts: 5,382member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by brlawyer View Post



    Anything else of note other than useless emojis?

     

    Your post is not worth being validated with a response, but for the benefit of everyone else here (from macrumors):

     

    Other iOS 8.3 changes include wireless CarPlay, letting users connect their iPhones to their CarPlay systems sans Lightning cable, support for Google two-factor authentication that makes it possible to add Google accounts without the need for app specific passwords, and Apple Pay support for the China UnionPay network. 



    There are also minor changes to Passbook (dividing Apple Pay and Passes) and the Photos app (icon overlays for albums). Siri has gained new languages plus the ability to make calls using the iPhone's speakerphone, and in Messages, there's now an option to enable filtering to separate iMessages from friends from iMessages from Unknown Senders. 

     

    One of smaller but most notable UI changes includes an update to the space bar, which has been elongated to prevent users from hitting the period key in Safari when attempting to make a space. It's also now possible to turn on a setting to allow you to download free apps without the need to enter your password. We have a full list of the changes in iOS 8.3 in our iOS 8 Features Roundup

     

     

    Improved performance for: 

    - App launch 

    - App responsiveness 

    - Messages 

    - Wi-Fi 

    - Control Center 

    - Safari tabs 

    - 3rd-party keyboards 

    - Keyboard shortcuts 

    - Simplified Chinese keyboard 



    Wi-Fi and Bluetooth fixes 

    - Fixes an issue where you could be continuously prompted for login credentials 

    - Addresses an issue where some devices disconnect intermittently from Wi-Fi networks 

    - Fixes an issue where hands-free phone calls could become disconnected 

    - Fixes an issue where audio playback could stop working with some bluetooth speakers 



    Orientation and rotation fixes 

    - Addresses an issue that sometimes prevented rotating back to portrait after having rotated to landscape 

    - Improves performance and stability issues that occurred when rotating the device between portrait and landscape 

    - Fixes an issue where device orientation appeared upside down after pulling the iPhone 6 Plus from your pocket 

    - Resolves an issue that sometimes prevented apps from rotating to correct orientation after switching apps in multitasking 



    Messages fixes 

    - Addresses issues that caused group messages to sometimes split 

    - Fixes an issue that sometimes removed the ability to forward or delete individual messages 

    - Resolves an issue that sometimes prevented a preview from appearing when taking a photo in Messages 

    - Adds the ability to report junk messages directly from the Messages app 

    - Adds the ability to filter out iMessages that are not sent by your contacts 



    Family Sharing fixes 

    - Fixes a bug where certain apps would not launch or update on family members' devices 

    - Fixes a bug that prevented family members from downloading certain free apps 

    - Increased reliability for Ask to Buy notifications 



    CarPlay fixes 

    - Fixes an issue where Maps could come up as a black screen 

    - Fixes an issue where the UI could be incorrectly rotated 

    - Fixes an issue where the keyboard could appear on the CarPlay screen when it shouldn't 



    Enterprise fixes 

    - Improves reliability of installing and updating enterprise apps 

    - Corrects the time zone of Calendar events created in IBM Notes 

    - Fixes a problem that could cause web clip icons to become generic after restarting 

    - Improves reliability of saving the password for a web proxy 

    - Exchange out-of-office message can now be edited separately for external replies 

    - Improves recovery of Exchange accounts from temporary connection problems

    - Improves compatibility of VPN and web proxy solutions 

    - Allows use of physical keyboards to log into Safari web sheets, such as for joining a public Wi-Fi network 

    - Fixes an issue that caused Exchange meetings with long notes to be truncated



    Accessibility fixes 

    - Fixes an issue where using the back button in Safari causes VoiceOver gestures to not respond 

    - Fixes an issue where VoiceOver focus becomes unreliable in draft Mail messages 

    - Fixes an issue where Braille Screen Input cannot be used to type text in forms on webpages 

    - Fixes an issue where toggling Quick Nav on a Braille Display announces that Quick Nav is off 

    - Fixes an issue keeping app icons from being moveable on home screen when VoiceOver is enabled 

    - Fixes an issue in Speak Screen where speech will not start again after pausing



    Other improvements and bug fixes 

    - Introduces a redesigned Emoji keyboard with over 300 new characters 

    - iCloud Photo Library has been optimized to work with the new Photos app on OS X 10.10.3 and is now out of beta 

    - Improves the pronunciation of street names during turn-by-turn navigation in Maps 

    - Includes support for Baum VarioUltra 20 and VarioUltra 40 braille displays 

    - Improves the display of Spotlight results when Reduce Transparency is turned on 

    - Adds Italic and Underline format options for iPhone 6 Plus landscape keyboard

    - Adds the ability to remove shipping and billing addresses used with Apple Pay 

    - Additional language and country support for Siri: English (India, New Zealand), Danish (Denmark), Dutch (Netherlands), Portuguese (Brazil), Russian (Russia), Swedish (Sweden), Thai (Thailand), Turkish (Turkey) 

    - Additional dictation languages: Arabic (Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates) and Hebrew (Israel) 

    - Improves stability for Phone, Mail, Bluetooth connectivity, Photos, Safari tabs, Settings, Weather and Genius Playlists in Music 

    - Addresses an issue where Slide to Unlock could fail to work on certain devices 

    - Addresses an issue that sometimes prevented swiping to answer a phone call on the Lock screen 

    - Addresses an issue that prevented opening links in Safari PDFs 

    - Fixes an issue where selecting Clear History and Website Data in Safari Settings did not clear all data 

    - Fixes an issue that prevented autocorrecting "FYI" 

    - Addresses an issue where contextual predictions did not appear in Quick Reply

    - Fixes an issue where Maps did not enter night mode from hybrid mode 

    - Resolves an issue that prevented initiating FaceTime calls from a browser or 3rd-party app using FaceTime URLs 

    - Fixes an issue that sometimes prevented photos from properly exporting to Digital Camera Image folders on Windows 

    - Fixes an issue that sometimes prevented an iPad backup from completing with iTunes 

    - Fixes an issue that could cause Podcast downloads to stall when switching from Wi-Fi to cellular networks 

    - Fixes an issue where remaining time on timer would sometimes incorrectly display as 00:00 on Lock screen 

    - Fixes an issue that sometimes prevented adjusting call volume 

    - Fixes an issue that caused the status bar to sometimes appear when it shouldn't

  • Reply 15 of 84
    "One of smaller but most notable UI changes includes an update to the space bar, which has been elongated to prevent users from hitting the period key in Safari when attempting to make a space"

    Thank Christ, that was really effing annoying!
  • Reply 16 of 84
    inklinginkling Posts: 768member
    The emoji ones are more inclusive in the sense that there are now emoji to represent those who have been turned bright yellow by severe liver failure.

    Unfortunately, there are still no emoji for Asians.
  • Reply 17 of 84
    jroyjroy Posts: 29member
    It really does. This is like a whole new version of iOS, and I can see why they worked on it in tandem with 8.2. They probably did 8.2 just in case 8.3 had to be delayed past the Watch launch.



    It's like, pages of fixes. This is like Tim said "I WANT EVERY SINGLE BUG IN IOS FIXED BY 8.3".

    And so it was done.

    My iPad's updated and working fine. I think it freed up a little more space too, which is great on a 16GB device.
    I just updated my iPhone 5S and it went from 1.6GB free before the update to 4.95GB free after. Holy Moly!
  • Reply 18 of 84
    fallenjtfallenjt Posts: 4,053member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Inkling View Post



    The emoji ones are more inclusive in the sense that there are now emoji to represent those who have been turned bright yellow by severe liver failure.



    Unfortunately, there are still no emoji for Asians.

    Sure, Apple will do that when these people can afford iPhone. Once countries like Vietnam, Cambodia, Lao... or such can afford to purchase millions of new iPhone at release, Apple will consider them.

  • Reply 19 of 84
    brlawyerbrlawyer Posts: 828member
    slurpy wrote: »

    No, absolutely nothing. The damn headline of the article even answered your useless question. 

    Only the first paragraph showed on the main headline when I read it, hence my question.
  • Reply 20 of 84
    joogabahjoogabah Posts: 139member

    This might not be a new feature to 8.3, but I just noticed an option under Accessibility that allows you to have the iPhone read the content of any screen with a two finger swipe down.  I've been doing this with VoiceOver for years, but this isn't part of VoiceOver, and it reads iBooks and Kindle while automatically advancing the page and highlight the words as read.  It even presents the option to increase or decrease the rate of speech without going back into Settings.  It's fantastic.

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