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Here are some of our favorite new iPhone features in iOS 11.3

Steven Winkelman
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Genevieve Poblano/Digital Trends

Apple isn’t waiting until iOS 12 to bring some major changes to your iPhone or iPad. Apple just released iOS 11.3, a mid-year update that brings nearly a dozen new features. It’s now available via an over-the-air update. If you don’t see the update just yet, it should appear soon. While you wait, feel free to check out our favorite new iOS 11.3 features.

Performance and battery controls

Image used with permission by copyright holder

After Apple was accused of throttling older iPhones in December, the company promised to provide a software update to address the issue. With the iOS 11.3 update, you can access battery health information in the Settings app. You can disable the power management feature that tends to slow down iPhone — be warned, however, as disabling the power management feature on an iPhone with an older battery may cause your device to shut down unexpectedly. It’s why Apple implemented the power management feature in the first place. Read our performance throttling guide to learn how to use this tool.

Purchase options for iPhone X

iphone face id
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While Face ID on the iPhone X makes authentication incredibly simple, it has a few drawbacks. One of which is the need to use a password whenever you want to authenticate family purchases. The iOS 11.3 update finally addresses this oversight and lets you use Face ID to authorize any family purchases.

Medical records

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If you’ve ever requested medical records from your doctor’s office, you’ll appreciate Apple’s decision to integrate the data from these records into the Health app. The iOS 11.3 update allows certain medical providers to port medical records directly to your iPhone, meaning you get access to your records immediately. You can quickly check for any updates or lab results from your provider. While the number of providers is pretty limited right now, expect to see many more hospital systems join in the not too distant future.

Improved Augmented Reality

https://twitter.com/LondonRom/status/957674566427594752

Apple added some pretty significant augmented reality (AR) updates in iOS 11.3. For starters, the update lets you to interact with certain objects and images. If you snap a picture of a book, for example, you’ll see a rating and shopping information from Amazon. It’s an impressive update that reminds us a lot of Google Lens on Android smartphones.

New Animoji for iPhone X users

If you’re hankering for new Animojis, iOS 11.3 has you covered. With Apple’s latest update you’ll find four new Animojis: A bear, skull, dragon, and a lion are now part of the Animoji family. While you still won’t find the controversial human-esque AR Emojis that are on the Samsung Galaxy S9, Apple’s quirky alternatives tend to respond to facial movements much better.

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Steven Winkelman
Steven Winkelman
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Steven writes about technology, social practice, and books. At Digital Trends, he focuses primarily on mobile and wearables…
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