Apple released the final official version of iOS 11.3 to the general public after quite a few weeks of betas. The build number of the final iOS 11.3 release is 15F5037c on my iPhone 6.
As expected, iOS 11.3 is a major update and next step for the development of iOS 11 as since the release of iOS 11, it has been quite underwhelming due to numerous bugs and issues for millions of users across the world as lots of people complaining about the horrific battery life on iOS 11. I myself experienced horrible battery life in the beginning. The iOS 11 that was showcased and announced in September last year turned out to be the opposite of what we were promised and expecting. Some even say that iOS 11 is the worst iOS iteration to be released and that 11.2 or 11.1 at the minimum is what should have been released back in September of 2017.
However, now we are in April of 2018; iOS 11 has improved a lot and the millions of users that were once complaining half a year ago are now some what satisfied with iOS and have no quietened down. Obviously, there are still some issues with 11.3 but for the most part, it is a stable, smooth OS that packs a lot of features we would’ve perhaps preferred a few months ago.
Nevertheless, iOS 11.3 was finally released to the general public on March 29th and it’s time for an in-depth final review!
The most important feature that 11.3 brings is the ability to check your iPhone’s Battery Wear level. To bring some context, a few months back, a week before it was announced that 11.3 was in development, Apple admitted that they slow down older iPhones in order to maintain the iPhone’s life. This was very controversial and received mixed opinions. Some saying that Apple cheated us and deserve to be sued. Others being understanding and saying that Apple did the somewhat right thing in order to make sure your iPhone lives for a few years more by throttling the processor clock speed but also throttling your iPhone without your consent yet alone you even knowing that this is happening in the background.
New 11.3 Features!
11.3 brings you the ability to prevent your iPhone from not running at the maximum speed possible. This lets users switch off the ‘Power Conservation/Management feature’ which before limited how fast the device ran in order to prevent the battery degrading at a faster rate.
Another new feature is the new ‘Business Chat’ tool built into iOS 11.3 which will allow iOS users to communicate with local businesses within iMessage itself without having to install any 3rd party apps or having over their contact information. This will also work in sync with Apple Pay Cash through iMessage which will allow you to make payments easily.
11.3 also brought other features, e.g. 4 new animojis being: a bear, dragon, lion and skull. Enabling Face ID authentication for family purchases through the Apple Store or iTunes Store; before 11.3, you were only allowed to make family purchases by entering the Apple ID password. Homekit has also come to accessories. Homekit is Apple’s smart home eco system which has developed very well as you can connect many things to your Home app, e.g. any custom lights, such as hue lights, your Homepod, Apple TV, etc. Not only does Home put all your devices in sync but it also prevents from your home network becoming vulnerable to hackers.
All of this included, there are a few other minor new improvements and features but the main one was arguably also the most important one, and that being the Battery Wear level feature.
For the betas, the battery wear level feature was introduced in Beta 2. My iPhone 6 was at 90% battery wear level. I decided that I would get my battery changed and after that, all I can say is the £25 price tag to get your battery replaced is well worth it. My battery life on my iPhone 6 doubled from max 3 hours to 6 hours comfortably. Also, performance became what I expected, and I stopped thinking about purchasing an iPhone 6S or 7 and instead started enjoying using my iPhone 6 again because after that battery replacement, it ran smoothly. Performance was good. Battery life improved a lot. And my iPhone 6 felt good as new because of iOS 11.3 allowed my device to run at full power!
So, is updating to iOS 11.3 worth it? Yes definitely! Like any other update, it is worth updating and being on the latest software but specifically 11.3 is a must if you want to enjoy using your device again. I did after I updated to 11.3!
If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them down below!
Author: Holden Satterwhite
Founder of Appleosophy and Redfruit Media. Twitter: @hesatter
