New for iOS 11.3: Battery Health, Throttling Settings and Animoji

Following reports that older iPhones had been slowed down, Apple confirmed that it sent out an iOS update past year to throttle processors on old iPhones with chemically degraded batteries.

The consumer beta of iOS 11.3 and ARKit 1.5 is expected to go live in the coming days, though Apple didn’t specify when.

The finished version of iOS is expected to be released sometime this spring, according to the preview post. More importantly, users can now see if the power management feature that manages performance to avoid unexpected shutdowns has been turned on, and can choose to turn it off. There, you can see if your iPhone needs a new battery, which you can obtain for $29 until December 31, down from $79.

Despite Apple’s contrition, the company is still facing an investigation by French authorities, a series of questions from U.S. Senate and a spate of consumer lawsuits alleging misconduct.

As well as showing battery health, the new update – iOS 11.3 – will recommend if a battery needs to be serviced or replaced.

You can download and install iOS 11.3 Beta 1 for iPhone, iPad and iPod. Apple says that it will be visible on iPhone 6 and newer smartphones.

Business Chat allows users to text businesses like Lowe’s directly in their Messages app, improving customer service responsiveness.

“Putting the patient at the center of their care by enabling them to direct and control their own health records has been a focus for us at Cedars-Sinai for some time”, Cedars-Sinai Chief Information Officer Darren Dworkin said in a statement. The new Health Records tool in the Health App will let users view notifications for lab results, check records on medications and conditions, and more. All data is encrypted and protected with a passcode.

iOS 11.3 introduces four new Animoji: a lion, bear, dragon and skull. Those AR improvements will enable users to place virtual objects on virtual surfaces and integrate two-dimensional images into three-dimensional AR experiences.

For example, Apple suggests, a museum could build an interactive navigation app that used ARKit to recognize signs, posters, and artwork.

Apple gave a sneak peek at its next iPhone operating system update and it features more Animojis (for owners of iPhone X) – and for nearly everyone, a much-discussed option to turn off a slowdown feature for older batteries.