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Night owls, you can stop counting sheep. Apple’s latest mobile software update, available Monday, makes reading on your iPad or iPhone easier on your eyes.
Enlarge ImageOne of the biggest new features of Apple’s iOS 9.3 is a feature called Night Shift, which alters the tone on the display to make sure your gadget doesn’t keep you up at night.
The company announced the next version of its mobile software, iOS 9.3, during an event Monday at its headquarters in Cupertino, California, where it also unveiled its latest iPhone and iPad.
To see more about iOS 9.3, go here.
Apple needs to keep the system software fresh to maintain customers’ interest in its products, ensure software developers keep making apps for its platform, and make sure devices are secure. The refreshes are also vital to keep Apple in step with competitors like Google, whose Google Now and Google Now On Top provide predictive capabilities to Android device users.
A major revamp of Apple’s mobile software comes every year when the company launches a new phone. The latest version, iOS 9, hit the market in September with the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus.
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iOS 9.3 arrives with new features
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One of the biggest changes Apple made with iOS 9 was providing the ability for the software to learn about someone’s habits at a particular time of day or in a certain location. For instance, the device could load up music selections ahead of regular morning runs or bring up an audio book someone is listening to while in the car.
More from Apple’s March 21 event
- iPhone SE is the iPhone your wallet has been looking for
- Apple hopes smaller iPad Pro will get you excited about tablets again
- Apple Watch starting price slashed to $299
- Apple’s CareKit platform will bring new apps for improving health
- Apple goes greener with big renewable energy push
iOS 9.3 includes a feature called Night Shift that changes light emitted from the display to a warmer tone, which experts say should help people who look at their iPhones or iPads before bed fall asleep more easily. The blue light emitted by LED screens can reduce the production of melatonin, the hormone that tells our brains to sleep. Switching from bright white and blue undertones to warmer colors, such as red, orange and yellow, may help you doze off with less frustration. Night Shift uses your device’s clock and location to determine when it’s sunset, and automatically turns down the cooler blue tones on the screen. In the morning, the display goes back to normal.
Here’s what the new iPhone SE looks like (pictures)
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In addition to Night Shift, Apple included other tweaks to the software, including password protection for the Notes app. Notes will also be able to be sorted by date or title. While these aren’t revolutionary tweaks, they’re important given Apple’s focus on securing users’ personal information on their devices.
Apple is currently in a battle with the FBI over a government request to unlock an iPhone 5C used in December’s San Bernardino, California, terrorist attack. Apple argues it shouldn’t be forced to make its phones less secure, while the FBI says it needs Apple’s help to determine if information on the iPhone could reveal more about the terrorists’ activities.
See all of the news from Apple’s March 21 event.
