There will be an iPhone update in the near future. On Wednesday, Apple released iOS 26.3 RC to beta testers. This is a “release candidate” for iOS 26.3, or the version of the operating system that Apple plans to release to the public — assuming beta testers find no major bugs or glitches in the update. Apple’s latest version of its iPhone operating system may not be landmark by most standards, but it does include some noteworthy new features.
We don’t know when iOS 26.3 will be released, but here’s what you can expect once Apple does.
iOS 26.3 makes it easier to transfer iPhone data to Android
Back in December, we learned about a small but important new iOS feature: Apple was officially working directly with Google to make transfers between iPhones and Android devices more seamless. In the “Transfer or reset iPhone” settings in iOS, there is now a new “Transfer to Android” option. Click it, and iOS will instruct you to hold your iPhone near your Android device; from there, you can choose to transfer data like photos, messages, notes, and apps. However, it seems that not all data will be transferred: “Protected items” such as health data, devices paired with Bluetooth, and locked notes will not come with this transfer feature.
It’s not just one way: Android users will have a similar option to move to iPhone. But for those of us who updated our iPhones to iOS 26.3, there’s now an easier escape route if we choose to switch platforms.
You can limit precise location sharing in iOS 26.3 (if you have Boost Mobile)
In iOS 26.3, Apple allows certain users to stop sharing their precise location with cellular providers. The new feature “Limit precise location” reduces the accuracy of location data shared with cellular networks. This way, the network can determine your approximate location, but not your precise location. In practice, at least according to Apple, this means the network may know your neighborhood, but not your exact street address.
Currently, only Boost Mobile users in the United States can use this feature in iOS 26.3. It also only works with certain iOS devices, including the iPhone Air, iPhone 16e, and iPad Pro M5 Wi-Fi + Cellular. Hopefully more cellular plans and more iPhones will get this feature in the future, but for now, it’s pretty limited. While most of us can’t limit sharing our precise location with the web, we can at least prevent apps from collecting this data.
Weather and Astronomy get their own wallpapers section in iOS 26.3
Talk about a small update: In iOS 26.3, Apple separated Weather and Astronomy into their own wallpapers section. (Previously, the two categories were paired.) While Astronomy has the standard space wallpaper in iOS 26.2 and earlier, Weather now has three preset wallpapers with different font options and weather widgets.
Notification forwarding coming soon to iOS (EU only)
Back in September, we learned that Apple was quietly working on some type of notification forwarding feature, but beyond basic functionality, the specifics were still open to speculation. At the time, it was widely believed that Apple intended to use the feature to forward notifications to third-party devices, specifically smartwatches, in an attempt to open the platform to wearable devices other than the Apple Watch. Of course, that’s not Apple’s choice – if left to its own devices, the company would lock as many features as possible into Apple devices. Instead, the motivation will come from the European Union, which forces Apple to make its platform more cooperative with third-party devices.
As it happens, this feature is rolling out with iOS 26.3 — albeit only in the EU (In the first iOS 26.3 beta, Apple added a “Notification Forwarding” option to notification settings on all iPhones. They’ve since removed this option, as the feature was only available in the EU.) While the option isn’t currently enabled, Apple did provide a clarification on how the feature works, saying notifications can be forwarded to one device at a time. Importantly, the description states that when notifications are forwarded to another device, they won’t appear on your Apple Watch. Apple, is this restriction really necessary?
EU iPhone users can also get another interesting feature with iOS 26.3. The new update will allow users to pair third-party accessories with an iPhone by holding them close, similar to how AirPods are paired with an iPhone. Of course, developers will need to add this feature to their devices before it will work, but the new update makes it possible.
Bug fixes and security patches
Apple typically bundles its feature updates, such as iOS 26.3, with stability patches, including ones for bugs and security vulnerabilities. However, we won’t know exactly what issues are fixed until the update is officially released. I will update this article once iOS 26.3 is released and Apple discloses that the Watch bugs and vulnerabilities have been resolved.
Be careful about running betas on iPhone
iOS 26.3 is coming soon, but is technically still in beta. Anyone interested can try 26.3 by enrolling their device in Apple’s beta program. However, before doing so, please understand the risks. Unfinished software may contain errors and glitches that may affect your iPhone experience. These risks are currently at their lowest during this testing cycle because this is Apple’s release candidate, but that doesn’t mean it’s risk-free. If the software is particularly buggy, you may lose data when downgrading back to iOS 26.2. If you decide to install the beta version, please make a full backup of your iPhone to your Mac or PC before installing.
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