If you’re anything like me, you’d sooner use a rotary phone than update your iOS. I'm still traumatized by the fact the last one forced me to upgrade my phone. (RIP my iPhone 6.) With the 11.3 update around the corner, Apple has previewed some of the new updates and features it has in store. iOS 11.3 includes Animoji on iPhoneX, which is said to include a dragon, a laughing bear, and a more biologically accurate skull. There’s 16 characters to choose from, including some of your old faves, like the poop emoji.
The update will also feature ARKit 1.5, the augmented reality platform that can now recognize the positions of 2D images and integrate them into the world of augmented reality. For example, it can bring a painting to life. It will also be able to recognize and place virtual objects and position them on vertical surfaces, like a wall. In addition, the platform’s “real world” view has been upgraded to 1080p from it’s original 720p.
One of the more significant updates is the feature that shows your phone's battery health and will alert you if it needs to be serviced. Apple were criticized for slowing down iPhones with older batteries, and will attempt to remedy this by allowing users to see if the power management feature is turned on and give them the option to toggle it off.
The Health app will now include health records from providers like Cedars-Sinai and Johns Hopkins. That data will of course be encrypted and passcode protected, but I’ve already written the post-apocalyptic movie script for when in it gets hacked, in my head.
iOS 11.3 will also bring us Business Chat, which allows business to communicate with consumers via the messages app. The beta launch of Business Chat is expected in the spring, with select participation from businesses including Discover, Lowe’s, Hilton, and Well’s Fargo. I cannot wait until Spectrum get’s on that shit, because I have several bones to pick.
