Apple Announces iOS 9.3 is Launching Today [Updated] - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Apple Announces iOS 9.3 is Launching Today [Updated]

by

At its media event in Cupertino today, Apple announced that iOS 9.3 will begin to rollout as a free update to users worldwide today. As previously announced thanks to betas of the software, the update will bring new features to iOS, mainly centering around Night Shift.

f1458582067
Updates to older apps like Apple News will see some small UI shifts to highlight breaking news stories, and the company announced that its CarPlay features will continue to appear on a wide array of vehicles in the coming year. Also briefly touched upon in iOS 9.3 was a featured called "Education," which will allow teachers and administration access to organizational features inside of classrooms on devices like the iPad.

Stay up-to-date with the event today on the MacRumors live stream.

Update: iOS 9.3 is now available for compatible iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch devices.

Tag: March 2016 Event

Top Rated Comments

647156 Avatar
647156
131 months ago
Looks like the servers are being hammered after all these years of waiting for an update - getting this when trying to check for this OS 9.3 update currently:



Looking forward to the increased snappiness of Internet Explorer after the update! Shame they didn't announce the PowerBook/iBook G5 along with this long-awaited update though, guess we'll have to wait until WWDC for those...

Oh wait...iOS 9.3? :(

Attachment Image
Score: 27 Votes (Like | Disagree)
V
Voytech
131 months ago
Software update on iPhone says I'm up to date at 9.2.1 but iTunes says update available - 9.2.1

Odd.



Attachment Image
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
vertsix Avatar
vertsix
131 months ago
I hope you all enjoy 9.3 if you didn't jump on the betas. The performance is soooo much better with 9.3 than 9.2.1.

It's like night and day.

Especially on the iPhone 5s and 6 Plus.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mdawid Avatar
mdawid
131 months ago
Software update on iPhone says I'm up to date at 9.2.1 but iTunes says update available - 9.2.1

Odd.

I had the same issue - though, I plugged my iPhone into my Macbook last night and record the message then. Not a new thing. I just checked again - same. Letting it re-download and install or do whatever so I can update to 9.3 without hangup.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
5
576316
131 months ago
I was hoping they'd announce a few more features for the News app to be honest. I hate that there's no 'end' to the news stream. I used to love using Zite cause you'd eventually run out of stories and you felt like you'd seen everything and you'd return later. But Apple News just gives you endless lists of articles and you have to actively decide to abandon it.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
frumpy16 Avatar
frumpy16
131 months ago
i just installed 9.2.1 last week. Held off for as long as possible till I knew it was safe. Installing a new OS on day one is asking, no let me correct that, begging for problems. Apple has proven time and again that it's iOS updates are not always reliable.

Prudence dictates to wait at least a month before installing any new OS if you can't afford ending up with a screwed up phone.
That was better advice before they greatly expanded the pre-release user pool with the public beta program. You gotta do what you're comfortable with but this is a very conservative approach you're preaching. Personally, I don't have anything mission critical enough on my iPhone to manage it this tightly to mitigate the risk that an issue went undetected through the usual internal, alpha, beta, and public beta testing processes (over several iterations). Be assured that this release aged well over one month already.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments

Popular Stories

iOS 26

iOS 26.4 Adds Two New Features to CarPlay

Tuesday March 24, 2026 1:55 pm PDT by
iOS 26.4 was released today, and it includes a couple of new features for CarPlay: an Ambient Music widget and support for voice-based chatbot apps. To update your iPhone 11 or newer to iOS 26.4, open the Settings app and tap on General → Software Update. CarPlay will automatically offer the new features so long as the iPhone connected to your vehicle is running iOS 26.4 or later....
Read Full Article • 25 comments
Apple Business hero

Apple Unveils 'Apple Business' All-in-One Platform

Tuesday March 24, 2026 8:53 am PDT by
Apple today announced Apple Business, a new all-in-one platform that unifies device management, productivity tools, and customer outreach features. The service is designed to be a consolidated replacement for several of Apple's existing business-focused offerings, including Apple Business Essentials, Apple Business Manager, and Apple Business Connect. It provides organizations with a single...
Read Full Article • 47 comments
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 3, AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4

Tuesday March 24, 2026 12:31 pm PDT by
Apple today released new firmware for the AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3, and the AirPods 4. The firmware has a version number of 8B39, up from 8B34 on the AirPods Pro 3, 8B28 on the AirPods Pro 2, and 8B21 on the AirPods 4. There is no word on what's included in the firmware, but Apple has a support document with limited notes. Most updates are limited to bug fixes and performance...
Read Full Article • 88 comments