How To: iOS 14.3's Out for iPhone & You Should Definitely Install It ASAP

Just as expected, Apple pushed out iOS 14.3 to the masses on Monday, Dec. 14, which coincided with the pumped-up release of Fitness+, Apple's subscription workout service for Apple Watch users. It also came one day before the new AirPods Max hit buyers, and the iPhone needs iOS 14.3 to use all of its features.

If you don't plan on subscribing to Apple Fitness+ or purchasing an expensive set of over-the-ear headphones, you should still update to iOS 14.3 because there are plenty of other features you'll enjoy, as well as important security patches.

For those who use the Shortcuts app, there are two exciting abilities for your shortcuts. First, it improves how custom app icons on the home screen open, where it takes you right to the connected app without showing Shortcuts first. Second, it adds the "Set Wallpaper" action, which lets you see wallpapers for your home or lock screen automatically.

• See Everything That's New: 27 Features in iOS 14.3 That'll Make Your iPhone Experience Way Better

If you have an iPhone 12 Pro or 12 Pro Max, Apple ProRAW has finally made an appearance. With it, you can shoot RAW photos directly in the Camera app and edit them in Photos and compatible third-party photo editors. Best of all, any iPhone running iOS 14.3 can edit ProRAW photos, not just the 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max.

Other highlights include scannable App Clip codes, 25 fps video recording, animated playlist art in Apple Music, a new video player in Apple Music, a new search engine option in Safari, TV app improvements, more compatible wireless game controllers, updated cycle tracking in Health, BreezoMeter-supplied air quality data, and more.

One big-ticket item to be excited about is the new Privacy information for each app in the App Store. Since Dec. 8, developers have been sending Apple information on their privacy "nutrition labels," but the labels had not shown in the Apple Store until iOS 14.3's stable release.

For Apple Fitness+, you also need to have an Apple Watch Series 3 or later with watchOS 7.2 installed; the newest watchOS just came out Monday, Dec. 14. It'll also work in the Fitness app on newer iPads and HD and 4K Apple TV models. It costs $9.99 monthly or $79.99 yearly, or you can pay $29.95 each month for Apple One Premier, which includes Fitness+, Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, Apple News+, and 2 TB of iCloud storage.

Fitness+ can be shared with up to six people in your household. All Apple Watch users get one free month to start with, while people who purchase an Apple Watch Series 3 or later get three months free.

Apple Fitness+ brings studio-style workouts to iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV, intelligently incorporating workout metrics from Apple Watch for a first-of-its-kind personalized and immersive experience users can complete wherever and whenever is convenient for them. Apple Fitness+ [launches] with 10 of the most popular workout types, including High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), Strength, Yoga, Dance, Core, Cycling, Treadmill (for running and walking), Rowing, and Mindful Cooldown, led by a phenomenal team of trainers whose approach is welcoming to all. The workouts are fueled by inspiring music from today's top artists designed to keep users motivated from start to finish.

The AirPods Max, which cost $549, features two H1 chips, high-fidelity audio, spatial audio, Adaptive EQ, Active Noise Cancellation, Transparency mode, automatic switching, audio sharing, Siri, and more. Color options include space gray, silver, sky blue, green, and pink. AirPods Max is available Tuesday, Dec. 15, but many from the Apple Store aren't shipping out for months due to their popularity.

As for security patches, there aren't many, but you'll see ones for the App Store, CoreAudio, FontParser, ImageIO, and WebRTC. There is also a security issue where "unauthorized code execution may lead to an authentication policy violation," which was addressed. That last one was also sent out with iOS 12.5 for the iPhone 5S, iPhone 6, and iPhone 6S Plus. Those older devices also gained support for COVID-19 exposure notifications.

Apple released the iOS 14.3 update at 10 a.m. PST, and you can see all of the big new features in greater detail in our iOS 14.3 features roundup. You can also browse the official release notes below, which do not highlight everything new in iOS 14.3.

iOS 14.3 Release Notes

iOS 14.3 includes support for Apple Fitness+ and AirPods Max. This release also adds the ability to capture photos in Apple ProRAW on iPhone 12 Pro, introduces Privacy information on the App Store, and includes other features and bug fixes for your iPhone.

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 this website: support.apple.com/kb/HT201222

Apple Fitness+

• A new fitness experience powered by Apple Watch with studio-style workouts available on your iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV (Apple Watch Series 3 and later)
• New Fitness app on iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV to browse Fitness+ workouts, trainers, and personalized recommendations
• Video workouts added each week in ten popular workout types: High Intensity Interval Training, Indoor Cycling, Yoga, Core, Strength, Dance, Rowing, Treadmill Walking, Treadmill Running, and Mindful Cooldown
• Playlists curated by Fitness+ trainers to complement your workout
• Fitness+ subscription available in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, United Kingdom, and United States

AirPods Max

• Support for AirPods Max, new over-ear headphones
• High fidelity audio for rich sound
• Adaptive EQ adapts sound in real time to the personal fit of ear cushions
• Active Noise Cancellation to block out environmental noise
• Transparency mode to hear the environment around you
• Spatial audio with dynamic head tracking for a theater-like listening experience

Photos

• Apple ProRAW photos can be captured on iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max
• Apple ProRAW photos can be edited in the Photos app
• Option to record video at 25 fps
• Mirror the front facing camera for still photos on iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone SE, iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X

Privacy

• New privacy information section on App Store pages that includes a developer-reported summary of the app's privacy practices

TV app

• An all-new Apple TV+ tab makes it easy to discover and watch Apple Original shows and movies
• Enhanced search so you can browse by category such as genre, and see recent searches and suggestions as you type
• Top search results shown with the most relevant matches across movies, TV shows, cast, channels, and sports

App Clips

• Support for launching App Clips by scanning Apple-designed App Clip Codes via Camera or from Control Center

Health

• Ability to indicate pregnancy, lactation, or contraceptive use in Cycle Tracking in the Health app in order to better manage period and fertile window predictions

Weather

• Air quality data is now available in Weather, Maps, and Siri for locations in China mainland
• Air quality health recommendations are provided in Weather and Siri for the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, India, and Mexico at certain air quality levels
• Air quality data in Weather, Maps, and Siri reflects updated national scales for Germany and Mexico

Safari

• Ecosia search engine option in Safari

This release also addresses the following issues:

• Some MMS messages may not be received
• Contact groups failed to display members when composing a message
• Some videos would not appear correctly when shared from the Photos app
• App folders may fail to open
• Spotlight search results, and opening apps from Spotlight may not work
• Bluetooth could be unavailable in Settings
• MagSafe Duo Charger could wirelessly charge your iPhone at less than the maximum power
• Wireless accessories and peripherals using the WAC protocol could fail to complete setup
• The keyboard would dismiss when adding a list in Reminders while using VoiceOver

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 this website:

support.apple.com/kb/HT201222

How to Install the Latest Version of iOS on Your iPhone

On your iPhone, head to Settings –> General –> Software Updates, then follow the on-screen instruction to download and install iOS 14.3. If you have Automatic Updates enabled, you can allow your iPhone to update overnight while it's charging and connected to Wi-Fi.