iOS 10.3 Update: 9 Reasons to Get Excited & 3 Reasons Not To

Get Excited About Bug Fixes & Performance

We, and many other iOS 10.3 beta testers, have noticed performance improvements, especially on older devices.

iOS 10.3 won't be perfect. The beta will catch a ton of problems but issues always slip through the cracks. It's the nature of the beast. That said, there's a chance you'll see a performance boost if and when you decide to install the update on your phone. We also expect it to deliver several key bug fixes for iOS 10 problems. 

Right off the bat, iOS 10.3 beta testers saw a noticeable improvement on an assortment of iPhones, iPads and iPod touches. In our testing, the iOS 10.3 update's felt fast and fluid on the iPhone 7 Plus. Others are saying the same about the iPhone 7 and older iPhone models.

It appears Apple's improved the app close speed on the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. Beta testers also report improvements to speed when closing apps using an external keyboard. That's big for iPad users. 

There's also the change to AFPS. When iOS 10.3 arrives, your iPhone's file system will be updated to use Apple File System (AFPS). 

Apple first announced this change at WWDC 2016 but it failed to deliver the change in its initial iOS 10 update.

APFS is optimized for Flash and SSD storages. It also delivers stronger encryption, space sharing, and copy-on write metadata. 

iPhone users testing the iOS 10.3 beta on older devices have noticed a dramatic effect on the boot speed of the iPhone 5 and iPhone 5s. 

The video above outlines the differences between iOS 10.2.1 and iOS 10.3. 

The iOS 10.3 update is also expected to bring an important feature for unexpected shutdown issues plaguing the iPhone 6 Plus and the iPhone 6.

The iOS 10.2.1 update helped reduce the unexpected shutdown issue on the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s. According to the company, there was an 80% reduction on the iPhone 6s and 70% on the iPhone 6.

Apple's iOS 10.2.1 software update also "added the ability for the phone to restart without needing to connect to power, if a user still encounters an unexpected shutdown."

If you own an iPhone 6 Plus or an iPhone 6, your iOS 10.3 update should bring this auto-restart fix along with it.