iOS 13.3 beta reveals RAM management fixes and hides away the Memoji keyboard

By Mark Jansen Published April 25, 2023

It’s only been a matter of weeks since iOS 13.2 was released, but Apple is already hard at work on the next patch for iOS 13. The public beta for iOS 13.3 has been released and it’s introducing — well, not a huge amount actually. iOS 13.2 was something of a big deal, introducing the Deep Fusion image processing software, a bunch of new emoji, and more privacy features. Based on the public beta, iOS 13.3 won’t be bringing anything as incredible, and will instead focus on performance improvements and a handful of new settings.

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One of the biggest new features is the addition of the Communication Limits tool to Screen Time. This new feature allows you to set time limits for specific contacts on that iPhone. So you can limit how long a child is allowed to talk to their friends on a weeknight, or ban them from messaging while they should be doing their homework. If you really need to, you can even block specific contacts entirely. It won’t apply to just texts and calls too, but will also encompass FaceTime video calls as well.

Less exciting, but still important, are the suspected changes to RAM management. As spotted by Apple Insider, it seems iOS 13.3 is less prone to killing off background apps than iOS 13.2, which introduced a bug that stopped apps as soon as you exited them. It’s great for battery and RAM management, terrible for multi-tasking. That fix isn’t confirmed, though, and it seems background apps are still killed when the phone is locked. Still, iOS 13.3 isn’t finished yet, so it’s probable Apple will apply another coat of paint there.

Another beta addition is a new setting that stops Memojis from appearing on your keyboard. So if you’re sick to death of seeing, er, your face pop up while you’re typing, you can now turn that off. Finally, the Apple Watch app logo has changed slightly, with the digital crown changing from black to gray.

It’s not a blockbuster of an update, but not every update has to be. If you’re interested in checking out the iOS 13.3 public beta, then you can sign up for Apple’s beta program. Just remember it’s a beta, so there will be bugs.

Former Mobile Evergreen Editor

Mark Jansen is an avid follower of everything that beeps, bloops, or makes pretty lights. He has a degree in Ancient &…

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