Get the most out of the best new iOS features, on your iPhone SE, iPad Pro or other Apple device, with these iOS 9.3 tips and tricks.
The latest iPhone SE and iPad Pro 9.7 come packing Apple’s latest version of iOS, and you can download iOS 9.3 to your existing iPhone and iPad right now. Here’s our tips and tricks guide to some of the best iOS 9.3 features, to see what’s new and how to get the most out of your Apple device.
How to update to iOS 9.3
First up, if you’re using an older iPad or iPhone you’ll need to update your version of iOS to iOS 9.3.
You can do this by heading to the Settings, then General. Give ‘Software Update’ a tap and you’ll be told which version of iOS you’re on and whether an update is available to download and install. The latest version is iOS 9.3.1 at the time of writing.
How not to disturb your partner when using your iPad/iPhone in bed with Night Shift
If you’re a night owl who’s always messing around with your iPad or iPhone in bed as your other half tries to get to sleep, you’ll both love iOS 9.3’s Night Shift mode. This automatically adjusts the screen of your iOS device, so the colours are warmer and it’s less glaring when you’re sat in the dark. This means you won’t be lighting up the entire room, and your eyeballs won’t have to work overtime when flicking to and from the screen.
Head to Settings > Display & Brightness and you’ll see the new Night Shift feature, with a time range beside it. Tap this and you can set whether Night Shift automatically turns on and the start and end times, as well as the final colour temperature. You can also manually switch on Night Shift here, although your device’s screen will revert to normal the following day.
How to secure your iOS 9.3 notes with a password or fingerprint
If you make a note of passwords or other highly confidential data using Apple’s Notes app, then the good news is that iOS 9.3 adds TouchID support. That means you can now secure any note with a fingerprint or a password.
To enable passwords or TouchID in Notes, head into your iOS device and scroll down until you see the Notes option. Tap this and you’ll see a ‘Password’ setting. In here you can set a fresh password to access Notes (separate from your standard Apple ID password), along with the option to display a hint in case you forget it. You can also enable or disable TouchID for accessing Notes.
If you want to lock one of your Notes, you can do so by tapping the Share icon inside the note and then tapping ‘Lock Note’. However, your note still isn’t locked! The final step is to poke the padlock icon in the top right corner of the screen, at which point the ‘This note is locked’ screen should appear.
How to set up two-factor authentication for iCloud in iOS 9.3
At long last, we have two-step authentication for iCloud in this new version of iOS. This allows you to attach a verified phone number to your account, which is then used as an extra layer of security when anyone tries to access your iCloud storage.
Head to the Settings menu and then tap on ‘iCloud’. Poke your name at the top of the iCloud settings menu and then tap ‘Password & Security’. At the bottom of this you’ll find the option to ‘setup two-factor authentication’. Follow the steps and you’re golden.
How to get sketchy in iBooks on the iPad Pro
iOS 9.3 also brings Apple Pencil support for iBooks. Head to iBooks on your iPad or iPhone and you’ll see that you can highlight passages using the Pencil. All you need to do is touch the Pencil to the start of the passage and then drag the tip to the end. Now you can tap on that segment and an options bar will pop up, allowing you to change the highlighting colour, share the passage or make a note.
How to get more detailed workout stats in Apple Health
Good news if you’re a casual fitness fan too, as iOS 9.3 brings better Health support for the Apple Watch. The Health app now breaks down your fitness stats recorded by the Watch; just head to the Workouts tab and you’ll see how long each session lasted and the calories burned. And if you have an iPhone 6s or iPhone 6s Plus, you can 3D Touch the Health icon to see your dashboard from your desktop.
Read next: iPad Pro 9.7 vs iPad Pro 12.9
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