iOS 11.3 Beta 2 Released with Battery Health, Power Management Tools

Apple on Tuesday seeded the second beta version of iOS 11.3 to developers, about two weeks after releasing the first iOS 11.3 beta.

Unlike iOS 11.2.5, which was released two weeks ago, iOS 11.3 is a fairly major update with a host of new features and additions — including several promised capabilities related to iPhone battery health and throttling.

Notably, those features have apparently been added to iOS 11.3 beta 2. The recently seeded testing software has a new Battery Health feature in Settings. Put simply, the feature will let users know what the maximum capacity of their battery is, and whether or not it is operating at that capacity.

iOS 11.3 will also add the ability to toggle iPhone power management on or off. But Apple notes that all devices running an iOS 11.3 beta will have the power management feature disabled by default unless an iPhone experiences an unexpected shutdown. In that case, throttling will be toggled on automatically.

Similarly, iPhones running at peak battery capacity won’t have the toggle available. In the case of a random shutdown, the toggle will appear and users will be able to prioritize performance over shutdown protection. Of course, Apple doesn’t recommend that users do so.

Other New Features and Improvements

iOS 11.3 will also introduce a number of smaller changes to the mobile operating system, including the following

• Four new Animoji characters, including a dragon, lion, skull and bear.
• The ability to store iMessages in iCloud.
• Upgrades to ARKit, including more accurate environment mapping and the ability to place 3D objects on vertical surfaces.
• Some aspects of AirPlay 2, with support for multi-room audio for Apple TV devices.
• Business Chat, which will let users communicate with companies and businesses via Messages.
• A new Health Records menu that lets users view their medical records in one place.
• A new Privacy icon that will fight iCloud and Apple ID phishing.
• Small tweaks to native apps like News, Books and the App Store.

iOS 11.3 beta 2 is now available to download as an over-the-air update for registered developers, provided that an appropriate configuration profile is installed on a device. It’s also available via the developer’s portal.

iOS 11.3 will be released to the public as a free download in the spring.