iOS 16.3 Beta 2: All the New Features That Could Hit Your iPhone - CNET

Apple has released the iOS 16.3 beta 2 to public beta testers, bringing caller features similar assistance uncovering parking via Apple Maps. The archetypal iOS 16.3 beta appeared soon aft the merchandise of iOS 16.2 and brought a fewer caller features to testers' iPhones arsenic well.

As always, we urge downloading a beta lone connected thing different than your superior device. Since these are beta versions of iOS 16.3, the features mightiness beryllium buggy and your device's artillery beingness whitethorn beryllium shortened, truthful it's champion to support betas connected a secondary device.

If you're a nationalist beta tester, here's what's caller successful the iOS 16.3 beta software. Note that the beta is inactive ongoing, truthful these apt won't beryllium the lone caller features to onshore connected your iPhone erstwhile iOS 16.3 is released. There's nary connection connected the nationalist merchandise for iOS 16.3 conscionable yet.

Apple Maps helps you find adjacent parking options

Book parking earlier you permission your location truthful you aren't driving astir looking for a spot.

Screenshot by Zach McAuliffe/CNET

If you usage Apple Maps to get directions to a location, you tin present find adjacent parking wrong Maps. When looking up a spot to go, you tin pat More (...) and pat Parking. This opens SpotHero, an online work that helps you find, publication and wage for a parking spot astatine a adjacent store oregon parking lot. You tin besides reserve a spot done SpotHero. This diagnostic is disposable lone successful prime cities, though. 

New ways to usage Emergency SOS via satellite

Emergency SOS via outer was introduced at Apple's 2022 lawsuit successful September. The caller beta bundle brings caller ways to usage the work connected your iPhone. 

In iOS 16.3 beta 2, the Call with Hold option has been replaced with Call with Hold and Release. If you enable Call with Hold and Release, you tin clasp the broadside fastener and a measurement fastener to initiate a countdown and an alarm. After the countdown, you merchandise the buttons and your iPhone volition telephone exigency services connected its own. Before with Call with Hold, pressing the broadside fastener and a measurement fastener would archetypal bring up the Emergency SOS telephone slider. If you continued to clasp the buttons, a countdown started and an alarm would spell off. After the countdown ended, your telephone would marque an exigency call.

There's besides an enactment to Call Quietly in Emergency SOS. By enabling this option, erstwhile you effort to marque an exigency SOS call, your telephone won't commencement flashing oregon making an alarm sound.

Security keys travel to Apple ID

With the beta software, users volition beryllium capable to usage third-party information keys alternatively of two-factor authentication for their Apple ID. 

Security keys are a batch similar keys to your home. You inactive usage passwords, but this other furniture of information tin assistance support you against phishing scams and hackers.

"Hardware information keys are very, precise secure," Diya Jolly, main merchandise serviceman of authentication work institution Okta, told CNET's Stephen Shankland.

Security keys adhd much extortion to your device.

Screenshot by Zach McAuliffe/CNET

Apple's information keys diagnostic lone works with FIDO Alliance-certified information keys.

New HomePod Handoff prompts

Beta testers who person an Apple HomePod volition beryllium shown caller messages erstwhile trying to usage Handoff to transportation music, podcasts oregon telephone calls implicit to the speaker. The messages further explicate however Handoff works with your HomePod.

One connection instructs you to bring your iPhone person to the HomePod to presumption controls oregon to transportation your audio implicit to the HomePod. Another connection says you tin bring your iPhone person to your HomePod again aboriginal to presumption those aforesaid controls oregon to transportation music.

Those are the large caller features beta testers volition spot successful the iOS 16.3 beta. That doesn't mean these are the lone features coming to the adjacent iOS update. Apple volition apt adhd much features earlier the merchandise of iOS 16.3. 

For much iOS 16 news, cheque retired the caller features successful iOS 16.2 and iOS 16.1. Here's however to sign up to trial Apple's iOS beta software, too.