iOS 8.3 public release
How to install iOS 8.3 update manually on iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch YouTube

Apple has just rolled out the long-awaited iOS 8.3 public release close on the heels of releasing another OS X 10.10.3 update for the public.

The new iOS 8.3 update brings numerous new features, bug-fixes and enhancements including new Siri language support, diverse emojis, Safari fixes, Wireless CarPlay and more.

iOS 8.3 public release
iOS 8.3 rolls out with new Siri languages, patches key jailbreak exploit [Full Changelog] Apple

Quite strangely, the update does not feature any new additions or feature changes for the Apple Watch, which is likely to be available for pre-orders in the next few days.

iOS 8.3 is supported on the following iOS devices:

iPhone: iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 5s, iPhone 5, and iPhone 4s

iPad: iPad Air 2, original iPad Air, iPad mini 2, iPad 4G, iPad mini, iPad 3G and iPad 2

iPod: iPod touch 5G

Here is the complete list of bug-fixes and feature enhancements ported into iOS 8.3, according to Apple's official release notes:

Improved performance

  • App launch
  • App responsiveness
  • Messages
  • Wi-Fi
  • Control Center
  • Safari tabs
  • 3rd-party keyboards
  • Keyboard shortcuts
  • Simplified Chinese keyboard
  • Wi-Fi and Bluetooth fixes
  • Fixes an issue where you could be continuously prompted for login credentials
  • Addresses an issue where some devices disconnect intermittently from Wi-Fi networks
  • Fixes an issue where hands-free phone calls could become disconnected
  • Fixes an issue where audio playback could stop working with some bluetooth speakers
  • Orientation and rotation fixes
  • Addresses an issue that sometimes prevented rotating back to portrait after having rotated to landscape
  • Improves performance and stability issues that occurred when rotating the device between portrait and landscape
  • Fixes an issue where device orientation appeared upside down after pulling the iPhone 6 Plus from your pocket
  • Resolves an issue that sometimes prevented apps from rotating to correct orientation after switching apps in multitasking

Messages

  • Addresses issues that caused group messages to sometimes split
  • Fixes an issue that sometimes removed the ability to forward or delete individual messages
  • Resolves an issue that sometimes prevented a preview from appearing when taking a photo in Messages
  • Adds the ability to report junk messages directly from the Messages app
  • Adds the ability to filter out iMessages that are not sent by your contacts

Family Sharing fixes

  • Fixes a bug where certain apps would not launch or update on family members' devicesFixes a bug that prevented family members from downloading certain free apps
  • Increased reliability for Ask to Buy notifications

CarPlay fixes

  • Fixes an issue where Maps could come up as a black screen
  • Fixes an issue where the UI could be incorrectly rotated
  • Fixes an issue where the keyboard could appear on the CarPlay screen when it shouldn't

Enterprise fixes

  • Improves reliability of installing and updating enterprise apps
  • Corrects the time zone of Calendar events created in IBM Notes
  • Fixes a problem that could cause web clip icons to become generic after restarting
  • Improves reliability of saving the password for a web proxy
  • Exchange out-of-office message can now be edited separately for external replies
  • Improves recovery of Exchange accounts from temporary connection problems
  • Improves compatibility of VPN and web proxy solutions
  • Allows use of physical keyboards to log into Safari web sheets, such as for joining a public Wi-Fi network
  • Fixes an issue that caused Exchange meetings with long notes to be truncated

Accessibility fixes

  • Fixes an issue where using the back button in Safari causes VoiceOver gestures to not respond
  • Fixes an issue where VoiceOver focus becomes unreliable in draft Mail messages
  • Fixes an issue where Braille Screen Input cannot be used to type text in forms on webpages
  • Fixes an issue where toggling Quick Nav on a Braille Display announces that Quick Nav is off
  • Fixes an issue keeping app icons from being moveable on home screen when VoiceOver is enabled
  • Fixes an issue in Speak Screen where speech will not start again after pausing

Other improvements and bug fixes

  • Introduces a redesigned Emoji keyboard with over 300 new characters
  • iCloud Photo Library has been optimized to work with the new Photos app on OS X 10.10.3 and is now out of beta
  • Improves the pronunciation of street names during turn-by-turn navigation in Maps
  • Includes support for Baum VarioUltra 20 and VarioUltra 40 braille displays
  • Improves the display of Spotlight results when Reduce Transparency is turned on
  • Adds Italic and Underline format options for iPhone 6 Plus landscape keyboard
  • Adds the ability to remove shipping and billing addresses used with Apple Pay
  • Additional language and country support for Siri: English (India, New Zealand), Danish (Denmark), Dutch (Netherlands), Portuguese (Brazil), Russian (Russia),
  • Swedish (Sweden), Thai (Thailand), Turkish (Turkey)
  • Additional dictation languages: Arabic (Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates) and Hebrew (Israel)
  • Improves stability for Phone, Mail, Bluetooth connectivity, Photos, Safari tabs, Settings, Weather and Genius Playlists in Music
  • Addresses an issue where Slide to Unlock could fail to work on certain devices
  • Addresses an issue that sometimes prevented swiping to answer a phone call on the Lock screen
  • Addresses an issue that prevented opening links in Safari PDFs
  • Fixes an issue where selecting Clear History and Website Data in Safari Settings did not clear all data
  • Fixes an issue that prevented autocorrecting "FYI"
  • Addresses an issue where contextual predictions did not appear in Quick Reply
  • Fixes an issue where Maps did not enter night mode from hybrid mode
  • Resolves an issue that prevented initiating FaceTime calls from a browser or 3rd-party app using FaceTime URLs
  • Fixes an issue that sometimes prevented photos from properly exporting to Digital Camera Image folders on Windows
  • Fixes an issue that sometimes prevented an iPad backup from completing with iTunes
  • Fixes an issue that could cause Podcast downloads to stall when switching from Wi-Fi to cellular networks
  • Fixes an issue where remaining time on timer would sometimes incorrectly display as 00:00 on Lock screen
  • Fixes an issue that sometimes prevented adjusting call volume

Apple's recent security report suggests that the company has also added 39 new security patches to improve the overall performance and stability of the software, besides patching up a known jailbreak exploit used with the TaiG tool.

The exploit has been labelled as CVE-2015-1087 and its discovery has been duly credited to the TaiG jailbreak team. The description of the exploit suggests that it is a backup bug that enables an attacker to use the backup system to access restricted areas of the file system.

Here is the full changelog for the backup bug uncovered by the TaiG jailbreak team:

Backup

Available for: iPhone 4s and later, iPod touch (5th generation) and later, iPad 2 and later

Impact: An attacker may be able to use the backup system to access restricted areas of the file system

Description: An issue existed in the relative path evaluation logic of the backup system. This issues was addressed through improved path evaluation.

CVE-ID

CVE-2015-1087: TaiG Jailbreak Team

Although the iOS 8.13 update has already rendered the TaiG jailbreak unusable, the new iOS 8.3 update has killed one more key exploit that could be used with future jailbreaks for iOS.

Nevertheless, both the TaiG and Pangu jailbreak teams have sounded positive in their recent announcements about their prospects of jailbreaking future iOS updates.

More about iOS 8.3