Apple released today the final builds of the iOS 10.3 operating system for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch devices, bringing various new features and many improvements.
iOS 10.3 has been in development since the end of January when Apple published the first Beta builds to registered developers, allowing them to test drive the upcoming Find My AirPods feature that lets users locate their lost AirPods directly from a supported iOS device running version 10.3 or later.
iOS 10.3 also comes with a brand-new file system developed by Apple and dubbed APFS (Apple File System), which is also used on the new versions of the macOS, watchOS, and tvOS operating systems. APFS promises to be a lot faster than the HFS+ file system and more reliable.
Among other changes implemented in the iOS 10.3 update, we can mention various performance improvements to iCloud Analytics and iCloud Backup, experimental support for new SiriKit car commands, as well as the ability to update your iOS devices from a remote server.
Supported devices and how to update
iOS 10.3 is officially supported on iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone SE, iPhone 5s, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 5c, iPhone 5, iPad (9.7-inch), iPad Pro (9.7‑inch), iPad Pro (12.9‑inch), iPad mini 4, iPad Air 2, iPad mini 3, iPad Air, iPad mini 2, iPad (4th generation Model), and iPod touch (6th generation).
To update your supported devices, simply open the Settings app, go to the General section and access Software Updates. Wait a few seconds for the iOS 10.3 update to appear and then press on the “Download and Install” button. Your device will be restarted a couple of times for the new iOS version to be installed.
However, because of the implementation of the new APFS file system, you should be aware of the fact that the update time could be doubled in some cases, depending on how old your device is. But after a successful iOS 10.3 installation, you should notice a performance improvement when opening apps or multitasking.
