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iOS 8.3 Update Released with Many Fixes

Apple has released iOS 8.3 for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. The software update includes 300 new Emoji icons, a variety of small new features, some minor user interface changes to keyboards, a variety of new languages for Siri, and a handful of performance fixes and optimizations, including resolutions to various wi-fi issues and Bluetooth connectivity. Full release notes for iOS 8.3 are listed below.

The iOS 8.3 final weighs in between 250MB and 1.5GB, depending on the device being installed on and the currently running version of iOS. You will find that iOS typically requires at least 2x that space to complete the installation, and if there is not sufficient space available you will be told to free up storage capacity on the iPhone or iPad.

Update to iOS 8.3

The easiest way for most users to download and install iOS 8.3 on their iPhone or iPad is through the Software Update mechanism on the device itself. Be sure to back up your device before attempting to install the software update, either through iCloud or iTunes, if not both.

  1. Back up your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch
  2. Open the Settings app and go to “General”, then to “Software Update”
  3. Choose “Download and Install”

iOS 8.3

 

The update will install itself automatically beyond this.

Another option is to connect the iOS device to iTunes and let that app complete the update for you. Updating through iTunes using a computer is also a way to update to iOS 8.3 if the iPhone or iPad does not have enough free storage space available to install through OTA. Just be sure to backup with iTunes before beginning that.

 

Troubleshooting iOS 8.3 Update & Install Problems

For most users, installing iOS 8.3 goes without a hitch, but there are a few potential hiccups that may be encountered, most of which are very easily resolved:

  • Not Enough Storage Available to Install? Delete some apps, free up storage space, or use iTunes and a computer to update
  • Stuck on “Download Requested” – Wait a few moments, if the download does not start after 5 minutes or so, the Apple Servers are probably overwhelmed by requests and you can try again later
  • Stuck on “Verifying Update” – wait for the verification to finish contacting Apple Servers, this requires an internet connection and can take a while when the updates are freshly available
  • The iOS 8.3 download says it will take 2 days to download!?!? Why is the download so slow? – this seems to be a network saturation issue that is impacting some localities when trying to install iOS 8.3 through OTA update. Waiting to download until later can be effective, as can updating through iTunes
  • The update is taking a really long time to install – have patience! Sometimes the update can stay on the  Apple logo screen with the loading bar for a very long time, seemingly not moving. Just wait it out, do not attempt to interrupt the iOS update process or you can brick your iOS device and require a restore
  • After installing the iOS update, my full iPhone will no longer sync with iTunes because there is not enough storage space free on the iPhone – this is a strange error, there is no solution other than clearing space off the iPhone

Have any other issues installing the update? Find solutions to them? Share in the comments.

iOS 8.3 Release Notes

Release notes accompanying the OTA download are as follows:

This release includes improved performance, bug fixes, and a redesigned Emoji keyboard. Changes include:

Improved performance for:
• App launch
• App responsiveness
• Messages
• Wi-Fi
• Control Center
• Safari tabs
• 3rd-party keyboards
• Keyboard shortcuts
• Simplified Chinese keyboard

Wi-Fi and Bluetooth fixes
• Fixes an issue where you could be continuously prompted for login credentials
• Addresses an issue where some devices disconnect intermittently from Wi-Fi networks
• Fixes an issue where hands-free phone calls could become disconnected
• Fixes an issue where audio playback could stop working with some bluetooth speakers

Orientation and rotation fixes
• Addresses an issue that sometimes prevented rotating back to portrait after having rotated to landscape
• Improves performance and stability issues that occurred when rotating the device between portrait and landscape
• Fixes an issue where device orientation appeared upside down after pulling the iPhone 6 Plus from your pocket
• Resolves an issue that sometimes prevented apps from rotating to correct orientation after switching apps in multitasking

Messages fixes
• Addresses issues that caused group messages to sometimes split
• Fixes an issue that sometimes removed the ability to forward or delete individual messages
• Resolves an issue that sometimes prevented a preview from appearing when taking a photo in Messages
• Adds the ability to report junk messages directly from the Messages app
• Adds the ability to filter out iMessages that are not sent by your contacts

Family Sharing fixes
• Fixes a bug where certain apps would not launch or update on family members’ devices
• Fixes a bug that prevented family members from downloading certain free apps
• Increased reliability for Ask to Buy notifications

CarPlay fixes
• Fixes an issue where Maps could come up as a black screen
• Fixes an issue where the UI could be incorrectly rotated
• Fixes an issue where the keyboard could appear on the CarPlay screen when it shouldn’t

Enterprise fixes
• Improves reliability of installing and updating enterprise apps
• Corrects the time zone of Calendar events created in IBM Notes
• Fixes a problem that could cause web clip icons to become generic after restarting
• Improves reliability of saving the password for a web proxy
• Exchange out-of-office message can now be edited separately for external replies
• Improves recovery of Exchange accounts from temporary connection problems
• Improves compatibility of VPN and web proxy solutions
• Allows use of physical keyboards to log into Safari web sheets, such as for joining a public Wi-Fi network
• Fixes an issue that caused Exchange meetings with long notes to be truncated

Accessibility fixes
• Fixes an issue where using the back button in Safari causes VoiceOver gestures to not respond
• Fixes an issue where VoiceOver focus becomes unreliable in draft Mail messages
• Fixes an issue where Braille Screen Input cannot be used to type text in forms on webpages
• Fixes an issue where toggling Quick Nav on a Braille Display announces that Quick Nav is off
• Fixes an issue keeping app icons from being moveable on home screen when VoiceOver is enabled
• Fixes an issue in Speak Screen where speech will not start again after pausing

Other improvements and bug fixes
• Introduces a redesigned Emoji keyboard with over 300 new characters
• iCloud Photo Library has been optimized to work with the new Photos app on OS X 10.10.3 and is now out of beta
• Improves the pronunciation of street names during turn-by-turn navigation in Maps
• Includes support for Baum VarioUltra 20 and VarioUltra 40 braille displays
• Improves the display of Spotlight results when Reduce Transparency is turned on
• Adds Italic and Underline format options for iPhone 6 Plus landscape keyboard
• Adds the ability to remove shipping and billing addresses used with Apple Pay
• Additional language and country support for Siri: English (India, New Zealand), Danish (Denmark), Dutch (Netherlands), Portuguese (Brazil), Russian (Russia), Swedish (Sweden), Thai (Thailand), Turkish (Turkey)
• Additional dictation languages: Arabic (Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates) and Hebrew (Israel)
• Improves stability for Phone, Mail, Bluetooth connectivity, Photos, Safari tabs, Settings, Weather and Genius Playlists in Music
• Addresses an issue where Slide to Unlock could fail to work on certain devices
• Addresses an issue that sometimes prevented swiping to answer a phone call on the Lock screen
• Addresses an issue that prevented opening links in Safari PDFs
• Fixes an issue where selecting Clear History and Website Data in Safari Settings did not clear all data
• Fixes an issue that prevented autocorrecting “FYI”
• Addresses an issue where contextual predictions did not appear in Quick Reply
• Fixes an issue where Maps did not enter night mode from hybrid mode
• Resolves an issue that prevented initiating FaceTime calls from a browser or 3rd-party app using FaceTime URLs
• Fixes an issue that sometimes prevented photos from properly exporting to Digital Camera Image folders on Windows
• Fixes an issue that sometimes prevented an iPad backup from completing with iTunes
• Fixes an issue that could cause Podcast downloads to stall when switching from Wi-Fi to cellular networks
• Fixes an issue where remaining time on timer would sometimes incorrectly display as 00:00 on Lock screen
• Fixes an issue that sometimes prevented adjusting call volume
• Fixes an issue that caused the status bar to sometimes appear when it shouldn’t

For information on the security content of this update, please visit this website:

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1222