Apple has today released iOS 18.3 and iPadOS 18.3 to the public; bringing changes to notification summaries on Apple Intelligence-capable devices and several bug fixes. It was also reported previously that this update enables Apple Intelligence automatically on supported devices. It can be disabled if you wish after installation by going to Settings > Apple Intelligence & Siri, and toggling the "Apple Intelligence" switch off.
In our testing of iOS 18.3 and iPadOS 18.3, we did not identify any changes that specifically affect the experience for blind, deaf blind, or low vision users. If you notice any changes in iOS 18.3 or iPadOS 18.3, please do let us know by posting a comment.
iOS 18.3 release notes
This update brings improvements to visual intelligence along with other enhancements, bug fixes, and security updates for your iPhone.
Visual intelligence with Camera Control (All iPhone 16 models)
- Add an event to Calendar from a poster or flyer
- Easily identify plants and animals
Notification summaries (All iPhone 16 models, iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max)
- Easily manage settings for notification summaries from the Lock Screen
- Updated style for summarized notifications better distinguishes them from other notifications by using italicized text as well as the glyph
- Notification summaries for News & Entertainment apps are temporarily unavailable, and users who opt-in will see them again when the feature becomes available
This update includes the following enhancements and bug fixes:
- Calculator repeats the last mathematical operation when you tap the equals sign again
- Fixes an issue where the keyboard might disappear when initiating a typed Siri request
- Resolves an issue where audio playback continues until the song ends even after closing Apple Music
Some features may not be available for all regions or on all Apple devices. For information on the security content of Apple software updates, please visit: https://support.apple.com/100100
iOS 17.7.4
In addition to today's iOS 18.3 releases, MacRumors reports that Apple has released iPadOS 17.7.4 for iPads that are not able to run iOS 18.
How to update
iOS 18.3 and iPadOS 18.3 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.
Before updating, we strongly recommend making a full and complete backup of your device (either locally or in iCloud, depending on personal preference). This will ensure that, in the unlikely event that something goes wrong during the update process, you will have a current backup on hand in case a device restore becomes necessary. Also, if using OTA update, we recommend plugging your device into a power source for the duration of the download/installation process, so as to prevent the unlikely event of your battery going dead during the update.
Comments
Downloading it on my iPad
Will come back and let you all know how it is
Waiting ...
Waiting to hear what new and exciting bugs are going to be in this version of iOS. 🙂
Dictation bug
Since updating to iOS 18.0.1, I’ve noticed a recurring issue with dictation. Sometimes, when you use the magic tap to stop dictating, it just says “thinking.” If you explore the screen and locate the dictate button in the bottom right corner, it indicates “actively dictating.” The sound that signals the end of dictation isn’t heard, and as a result, you can no longer use the audio message feature in iMessage, dictate anywhere on your phone, or activate Siri. The only way to resolve this is to restart the phone. Has anyone else encountered this bug, found a solution that doesn’t require restarting, or noticed if this has been fixed in the latest iOS update?
Have you tried a single…
Have you tried a single finger double tap? I have experienced this in certain shopping apps, and sometimes a single finger double tap is one way to fix it. No guarantees, but give that a try next time.
Alternatively, you can just try locking your device. :)
No changes
After installing this update thirty minutes ago, I have not noticed any new VoiceOver features or changes. You can check in Settings > Accessibility > VoiceOver > What's New in VoiceOver for more information.
a new VoiceOver feature, people just arn't talking about
there something new with VoiceOver. go to settings>accessibility>VoiceOver>roter. there is a new roter item, ducking amount. this effectivly means, 'you can adjust the amount audio is ducked, on the fly! that's right! Thomas Donville, I'm sorry to be the barer of bad news, but you'll might have to redo your podcast on audio ducking. they changed it in iOS 18.2, and now, they've changed it in iOS 18.3, with this novel setting. I herd apple crunch for december, and you told the listening audience, their are know new features in VoiceOver. that is incorrect. being a beta tester, on the developer beta, on a primary device, I spotted it right away. now I know what everybody are going to say to me. don't run betas on your primary device! though this is completely good advice, for me, personally, I have know data to lose, as it's apple licensed media, in an iCloud backup. so from that perspective, i'm golden! anyway, hear's to the next release. iOS 18.4 is rumoured to have new features. iOS 18.3 is a bug fix release, but with the new edition to audio ducking, it is just one of the many ways apple are innovators. I anticipate ducking amount being useful while watching videos. with automated systems as well.
Dictation bug fixed
I had the Siri and dictation bug but after installing 18.3 the bug was fixed. This was on my iPhone 11.
Three finger swipe up in BSI
So, a three finger swipe up in BSI used to send whatever text had been written. Somewhere in the early days of iOS 18, that got broken, or at least it did for me. Using an iPhone 16. I reported to Apple, and all I got was the canned response of "we can't replicate this." Am I completely off my rocker, or has anyone else noticed the three finger swipe up no longer sending? It just makes a noise but nothing else. I was hoping that it would have been fixed by now. Other than that, which for me is a bit of an annoyance, I haven't had any other problems with iOS 18.
It depends on the app put…
It depends on the app put 3fs works for me on messenger, imessage and whatsapp for example, not on instagram or teams.
Bt-speaker-bug and missing audio-destination-rotor
Hi everybody!
The BT-speaker-bug, where the volume goes uncontrollably to max-level is still around and the audio-destination-rotor-option still isn*t working. Very frustrating for BT-speaker-users.
Still, have a good one,
Daniel
@TheBllindGuy07
Interesting that it works for you, because on iMessage, Whatsapp and Messenger, it doesn't work for me. So odd.
Table top vs Screen away
Hey Justin,
Have you tried BSI in both Table top and Screen away modes, to see if you can get 3finger swipe up to work in something like Messages?
Just wondering if this is a bug or a screen sensitivity issue. :)
I think I can answer then…
I think I can answer then. My aphone xs was never reset since I first opened it in 2019. Somewhere near the end of 2022 the 3 finger swipe completely stopped working for me in all apps, it would play boundary reached sound with no action whatsoever, not even new line in teams/insta. I got my iphone 14 and it was working fine since day one til this day while my xs has still not been reset and that feature is broken there. So... you maybe know what to do and that it'll be a painful process.
@Brian, just gave it a shot,…
@Brian, just gave it a shot, and still a no go. I always use screen away but tried table top, and nada.
TheBllindGuy07, I really hope I don't have to reset, since it would also require pairing my apple watch again and all that. Altogether undesirable. Would be nice if I could just reset Voiceover without having to reset the whole phone. Ugh.
A Complete Joke!
I haven't installed iOS 18.3 yet because as far as I know, it does pretty much nothing for me on an iPhone 14 Pro and I'm getting really bored. Sticking with the RC version I'm on until 18.4 comes out. I hope Siri gets some actual improvements on iPhone 14 Pro, because as of now, I'm stuck with the old interface, stupid start-up vibration, and none of the tech that lets Siri at least detect when I stumble over my words and meant to say something else. I'm disappointed beyond belief, to say the least, and if I wasn't blind and used to using VoiceOver, I would've probably switched by now if I had my own plan.
A lot of the things you are…
A lot of the things you are complaining about not getting, were straight up never promised for older iPhone models. Apple intelligence is only compatible with iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models. This includes improved Siri. Updating is still advised because other than Voiceover, other bugs could have been fixed throughout the OS, plus security issues patched. And take it from someone who did actually switch for about 6 months and switched back, while Android isn't always bad, the grass isn't always greener on the other side either. You might switch and absolutely love it. I did, and was good for a bit, but there were a few small things that were big to me, maybe not to anyone else, but enough to make me switch back. Other than the one issue I've already outlined, to me, iOS 18 is fantastic and solid.
Yeah. I'm not saying it's…
Yeah. I'm not saying it's good though. Apple should have allowed gpt integration at the very least. We somehow got hide distraction everywhere? ... Well and now with deepseek apple intelligence is the least important thing for american big tech anyway. Yeah, ios18 is generally a nice update for us for VO, just the cursor blinking we can stop on braille display is worth it on its own.
Responses
@Justin,
Well, it was worth a shot. I also use screen away mode, tabletop mode is just weird for me. Isn't it silly that we have the ability to reset VoiceOver on macOS, but not on iOS or iPadOS?
@Kyler,
Right there with you. I am still on 18.2.1, on my iPhone SE 2022. Like you, I didn't see any real reason to update this time around. Plus, I wanted to wait and see about any reported bugs.
Good times.
@TheBllindGuy07,
Agreed. GPT should absolutely have been added to older iPhone models. Absolutely no reason why it cannot be.
Bugs
iOS 18.3 also addresses bugs that people were reporting. You may not get the things in iOS 18 such as AI and so on but security and bugs fixes is a must. What is the point of paying for a phone that is over $1000 if you do not update to manage bugs and protect your data.
GPT
While I don't really use it, I do think they should have done that, but other than not cutting in to sales of the new phones, surely there must be other reasons they didn't.
@Justin Harris
Same issue with BSI. I don't remember when in iOS 18 it broke, but I know it was early on.
@Brooke
Much appreciated. I hope this gets fixed soon. Thanks for the confirmation. Glad to know it's not just me.
Also A Small Change in the Battery Section
I updated my phone yesterday, and so far so good over here. I did notice that there is just a small addition to the battery section in the settings app. I can't even recall offhand what exactly it is, but something to the effect of if you use your i-device to the max it will still be okay. That might be slightly inaccurate though, as I got side-tracked right after updating yesterday. But methinks this is yet another good update.
Announce Calls now works with VO
This fixed the issue where announce calls wasn't working with airPods while using voiceover. I haven't noticed any other differences aside from that
Re: BSI
So I finally took the plunge, and updated my iPhone SE 2022 to iOS 18.3. I am not sure what the issue is with BSI, but I have no problem doing a three finger swipe up to send texts in the messages app.