Apple drops iOS 13.3, iPadOS 13.3, tvOS 13.3 and more
In this article (5)
Today is a day of operating system updates for Apple as the company dropped iOS 13.3, iPad OS 13.3, HomePod 13.3, tvOS 13.3 and watchOS 6.1.1. The update to iOS 13.3 for the iPhone and iPad OS 13.3 for, well, you know, adds Communication Limits support in Screen Time. The latter measures how long you use your phone or tablet, what apps you use the most, and allows parents to limit their children’s use of certain apps.
With the new feature, users can decide who they can communicate with and when they can communicate with them during “Downtime.” This is a setting on Screen Time that when enabled, prevents the user from opening certain apps, receiving notifications and getting phone calls during certain time periods except for apps and callers that are selected as “Always Allowed.” By default, Downtime, when enabled, will run from 10 pm to 7 am local time. With the new Communication Limits, parents can prevent their kids from calling, texting or using FaceTime with anyone else but them after a certain time of day.
With the update, Apple answered complaints from users about Memoji and Animoji stickers. The stickers were showing up alongside the emoji keyboard and users went into a conniption. But after installing iOS or iPad OS 13.3, users can disable this feature by going to Settings > General > Keyboard > Emoji. In Apple News+, stories from The Wall Street Journal and other newspapers now have a new layout and stories can be liked or disliked with a tap. In Canada, articles in the Stocks app are now available in both English and French. Top stories can now have a “Breaking” or “Developing” label to users find the latest and most important content.
“But after installing iOS or iPad OS 13.3, users can disable this feature by going to Settings > General > Keyboard > Emoji.”
Several bug fixes and improvements are part of the new update. When trimming a video in Photos, users will be able to create a new video clip. Bugs have been exterminated that prevented a message from being deleted in Gmail and prevented new messages from loading in Mail. With the update, screenshots shouldn’t look blurry any more when disseminated via Messages, and if you cropped or used Markup on a screenshot, it will save with the changes that were made. Missed call badges should now disappear, and Voice Memo recordings can now be shared with other audio apps. In addition, Apple says that the update addresses an issue that made some wireless chargers charge more slowly than expected. It also corrects an issue that had the Cellular Data setting incorrectly show as being “off,” and one that prevented users from turning off Dark Mode when Smart Invert was enabled. The update also takes care of an issue that caused incorrect characters to show up in Messages and duplicate sent messages in Exchange accounts.
In tvOS 13.3, Apple gives users the option to bring back the “Up Next” queue in the Top Shelf app. Apple had changed this to show clips of previews and trailers called “What to Watch.” This is found in the Home Screen section and after updating to tvOS 13.3 users can go to Settings > Apps > TV to make the change. Apple is also disseminating watchOS 6.1.1 for Apple Watch users. There are no new features in the update, but it does contain some bug fixes and performance improvements.
And HomePod OS 13.3 has also been released. With the update, Apple’s smart speaker will do better at recognizing the voice profile of family members. It also will allow family members to enable or disable personal requests and fixes an issue that could prevent music playback from resuming on a stereo pair after a phone call.
Questions & Answers
Q.What new controls are available for parents using Screen Time on iPhone and iPad after this update?
What new controls are available for parents using Screen Time on iPhone and iPad after this update?
Parents can now use Communication Limits within Screen Time to restrict who their children can contact and when, especially during Downtime. This prevents kids from calling, texting, or using FaceTime with unapproved contacts after a set time.
Q.How can users now remove Memoji and Animoji stickers from their keyboard on iOS and iPadOS?
How can users now remove Memoji and Animoji stickers from their keyboard on iOS and iPadOS?
After installing the update, users can disable the Memoji and Animoji stickers that appear next to the emoji keyboard. This can be done by navigating to Settings, then General, then Keyboard, and finally Emoji.
Q.Are there any new features included in the watchOS 6.1.1 update for Apple Watch users?
Are there any new features included in the watchOS 6.1.1 update for Apple Watch users?
No new features are introduced in the watchOS 6.1.1 update for Apple Watch users. It primarily contains various bug fixes and general performance improvements for the device's operating system.
Q.What improvements does the HomePod OS 13.3 update bring for Apple's smart speaker?
What improvements does the HomePod OS 13.3 update bring for Apple's smart speaker?
The HomePod update enhances the smart speaker's ability to recognise individual family members' voice profiles. It also allows family members to manage personal requests and resolves an issue with music playback resuming after calls on stereo pairs.
Reader pulse
Will these updates impact device sales?
23,479 votes so far