Apple P: March 2019

Friday, March 29, 2019

Two days after releasing the final version of iOS 12.2 for all users, Apple is today starting a new beta cycle with the release of iOS 12.3 beta 1. The update should become available at the top of the hour for developers enrolled in the Apple Developer Program with the beta profile installed.

As usual with iOS beta cycles, Apple is probably going to start the public beta for iOS 12.3 soon after the first beta is released for developers. The release notes for iOS 12.3 only mention bug fixes and improvements, we’ll update this post once the beta goes out with more information.

It’s possible that iOS 12.3 will include support for some of the new services announced during Apple’s “It’s show time” event on Monday, given that most features unveiled at the event won’t be available immediately. One of the features we’ll be looking for is the major redesign of Apple’s TV app.

As announced during the event on Monday, the all-new Apple TV app brings together the different ways to discover and watch shows, movies, sports, news and more in one app across iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Mac, smart TVs and streaming devices.

Apple's iOS 12.2 update is here and it brings some surprise features to your iPhone and iPad, in addition to all of the other iOS 12 changes you should know about.

Chief among the iOS 12.2 changes are the Apple News Plus subscription service and four additional Animoji. You can also ask Siri to play videos from your iOS device to an Apple TV. It's a stopgap between iOS 12 and the iOS 13 update we expect in a little over two months and Apple WWDC 2019.

The iOS 12 updates are generally positive, save for a few iOS 12 problems, like that FaceTime glitch earlier this year. We've seen 70 new emojis, eSIM support and Group FaceTime launch as part of iOS 12.1 at the iPad Pro 11 launch, and that's on top of all of the iOS 12 features launched last September.

Apple's iOS releases have made its mobile operating system stable and, importantly, competitive in the wake of Google's Android Pie update and last year's Google Pixel 3 launch. With falling iPhone sales, that's increasingly important.

Here's everything you need to know about the new iOS 12.2 update and iOS 12 in general, whether you're upgrading an older iPhone (which will be faster), or getting it out of the box with the new iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max or iPhone XR.

What's the difference between the latest phones showcasing iOS? Watch our handy explainer to find out: