Apple Releases iOS 16.3 and iPadOS 16.3 With Security Keys for Apple ID, Support for New HomePod, and More

By AppleVis, 23 January, 2023

Member of the AppleVis Editorial Team

Apple has today released iOS 16.3 and iPadOS 16.3 to the public.

Compared to iOS 16.2 and iPadOS 16.2, today's releases have few new features and bug fixes, with Apple seemingly focusing on a limited number of enhancements and likely some under-the-hood improvements.

Based on our experience, it appears that the following accessibility-related bugs have been resolved or significantly addressed in iOS 16.3 and iPadOS 16.3:

It has been reported in our forum that the bug which caused VoiceOver focus to spontaneously jump on the Recents tab of the Phone app is also fixed in iOS 16.3. We would welcome feedback from those who have previously encountered this bug to confirm whether it is also fixed for them.

At the time of writing, we are aware of the following new bugs:

We strive to provide the most comprehensive and accurate information about the accessibility status of Apple software releases. However, as a small team, it is impossible for us to test every device, configuration, application, and use case. That's why we depend on our community to help us ensure that our information is as complete and accurate as possible. If you have tested iOS 16.3 and iPadOS 16.3 for accessibility, please share any additional fixes, enhancements, or regressions you've discovered in the comments below. Your feedback is invaluable in helping us provide the best information to our readers.

iOS 16.3 Release Notes

This update introduces a new Unity wallpaper to honor Black history and culture in celebration of Black History Month, Security Keys for Apple ID, and includes other enhancements, bug fixes, and security updates for your iPhone.

This update includes the following enhancements and bug fixes.

  • New Unity wallpaper honors Black history and culture in celebration of Black History Month
  • Security Keys for Apple ID allow users to strengthen the security of their account by requiring a physical security key as part of the two Factor authentication sign in process on new devices
  • Support for HomePod (2nd generation)
  • Emergency SOS calls now require holding the side button with the up or down volume button and then releasing in order to prevent inadvertent emergency calls
  • Fixes an issue in Freeform where some drawing strokes created with Apple Pencil or your finger may not appear on shared boards
  • Addresses an issue where the wallpaper may appear black on the Lock Screen
  • Fixes an issue where horizontal lines may temporarily appear while waking up iPhone 14 Pro Max
  • Fixes an issue where the Home Lock Screen widget does not accurately display Home app status
  • Addresses an issue where Siri may not respond properly to music requests
  • Resolves issues where Siri requests in CarPlay may not be understood correctly

iPadOS 16.3 Release Notes

This update introduces Security Keys for Apple ID, and includes other enhancements, bug fixes, and security updates for your iPad.

This update includes the following enhancements and bug fixes:

  • Security Keys for Apple ID allow users to strengthen the security of their account by requiring a physical security key as part of the two factor authentication sign in process on new devices
  • Support for HomePod (2nd generation)
  • Fixes an issue in Freeform where some drawing strokes created with Apple Pencil or your finger may not appear on shared boards
  • Addresses an issue where Siri may not respond properly to music requests

How to Update

iOS 16.3 and iPadOS 16.3 are available via Over-the-Air Update (Settings > General > Software Update) via Finder on a Mac with macOS Catalina or later, or via iTunes on a PC or Mac with macOS Mojave or earlier.

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Comments

By Dennis Long on Saturday, January 21, 2023 - 21:41

The focus issue where in the wrong person was called when tapping on a recent call in the call log appears resolved.

By Lily Rose on Saturday, January 21, 2023 - 21:41

I do not like this Notification Center bug. Wonder how long it'll take to get fixed...

By Austin Grace on Saturday, January 21, 2023 - 21:41

Hello everyone. Just recently installed 16:3 on an 11 and have noticed moving by headings is very Inconsistent. I have a lot of trouble with the google app and navigating by heading since this update. safari seems to still work fine. Will edid post if I notice any other apps this happens in.

By Januš Kazakevič on Saturday, January 21, 2023 - 21:41

when reading multilingual text, or if a second synth voice is added to the rotor, then when you read the text with a second voice, Voiceover has a large delay.

By Lily Rose on Saturday, January 21, 2023 - 21:41

I can reproduce this. I wouldn't say it's disconnecting, though I'd say it simply freezes up until you move focus. Don't know why this is, but just saying like in my oppinion it's actually not as bad as it seems.

By Siobhan on Saturday, January 21, 2023 - 21:41

Is your braille display out of date at all? If it might need a firmware update, that might help. Not sure, just asking. so do me a favor and point the semi machine guns that way ok? lmao

By Lily Rose on Saturday, January 21, 2023 - 21:41

Is a Brailliant BI40X.

By Siobhan on Saturday, January 21, 2023 - 21:41

Saying you drive a ford F150 wouldn't help as much as if you'd said 2022 or 2000 so that was unhelpful in the most unethical way. Next time, either say yes it's up to date, or no it is not. sir.

By tripolice on Saturday, January 21, 2023 - 21:41

The bug where call volume wouldn't work when on an earpiece phonecall also appears to have been fixed. I could rock the volume up to the maximum and down. Hope it doesn't creep again!

By Scott Davert on Saturday, January 21, 2023 - 21:41

Member of the AppleVis Editorial Team

To Access Warrior and others.
The reason I have concluded this was a Bluetooth issue is if you turn VoiceOver sounds on, you should find the braille display connection dropping sound to be present. The connection between the Brailliant BIX seems the strongest,you see the time but will find the keyboard is unresponsive. The

By LaBoheme on Saturday, January 21, 2023 - 21:41

quote, How nice, too bad the double dictation bug still exist! Magic tap? What's that? you're blind! unquote

screen curtain is even blinder, actually, it's too blind to comprehend. so if you complain about the magic tap, you shouldn't be using screen curtain, either. if you do, turn it off right away, so we know you walk the walk.

magic tap can be replaced with more elegant gesture, i use two-finger swipe left, it's noisiless and smooth.

double dictation is a very serious bug and must be scrubed quickly.

By John Gurd on Saturday, January 21, 2023 - 21:41

Thanks for all your hard work. I'll give this one a mis. I don't fancy dealing with that heading bug and it's annoying they've broken Braille even further. I've given up using my Braille display with IOS.

By Patrick Hurst on Saturday, January 21, 2023 - 21:41

I can confirm the sluggish reaction of the VoiceOver speech output. However, it seems to differ according to the syntheciser and the language used:
For French, it seems to be a bit more than 0.25 seconds, which is still OK, but for German non-Eloquence voices (I tested all 5 of them in the lowest quality possible), reaction time is about 0.67 seconds (between the haptic + feedback click sound and the first element spoken), which becomes quite annoying when using a German-speaking App.
And yes, you guessed it: Eloquence seems to have avoided that issue ... It's incredibly fast, but also sounds incredibly robotic, which is why I have stopped using those voices more than 10 years ago!

By Ambro on Saturday, January 21, 2023 - 21:41

I'd just like to confirm that after some testing, for me, the bug of recent calls calling a random person instead of the one you chose remains.

By Rocker on Saturday, January 21, 2023 - 21:41

That is an very operatic response to my post! You must be blind! LOL! My screen curtain is now off, and I shall try the most elegant gesture to replace the vaunted magic tap! Cheers… Rocker

By Scott Davert on Saturday, January 21, 2023 - 21:41

Member of the AppleVis Editorial Team

Yeah, sadly this isn't gone. I hate when that happens. I had the same false hope with some of the braille bugs when 16.2 came out.

By Dennis Long on Saturday, January 21, 2023 - 21:41

I am using the Hable one keyboard and it calls the right person every time. this is on 16.3 on a se 3.

By DPinWI on Saturday, January 21, 2023 - 21:41

I am having headings issues in the News app. It was inconsistent before,but now it's worse. Swiping between headings in an article will often crash out of the app, and when reopened, I am back to the first page of the Today listing.

By Ambro on Saturday, January 21, 2023 - 21:41

Hi dear Apple Accessibility, thank you for your reply. After restarting the phone I did some more tests. Indeed, if you double-tap in recent calls, the problem seems to me solved. I didn't notice this improvement because since there was a bug, I used to focus on the contact to call, flick up and double tap on other info. By doing so, the bouncing cursor bug remains. But thank you for fixing the double tap bug. You see if you solve it completely, that is, even if you flick upwards by choosing other info.
Cheers,
Ambro

By Anna Beige on Saturday, January 21, 2023 - 21:41

I updated yesterday and have been testing different apps to see if the headings bug occurs. So far, I've noticed it in the following apps: iTunes Store (as stated in the blog post), the Apple TV app, Disney+, Netflix, Spotify, the Google app. Interestingly, Safari is not affected. I wonder what causes the bug.

By Devin Prater on Tuesday, February 21, 2023 - 21:41

If you have a Brailliant, Chameleon, or Humanware NLS EReader, the Braille bug will be minimized a bit due to the connection quickly being reset. It will still happen though. Of course, they still have the issue of Enter not making a new line lol, so trade one big bug for another.