Apple releases new iOS beta with AI audio tools and China features

Investing.com -- Apple Inc. rolled out the first developer beta versions of iOS 27.3 and watchOS 27.3 on Tuesday, introducing AI-powered audio features, Apple Intelligence support for China, and a redesigned Health app.

The Audio Intelligence capabilities work with the company's Series 12 and Ultra 4 smartwatches and were first announced at a September product launch event. The tools use AI and a device's microphone to track and analyze nearby conversations.

The new audio features include Siri Recap, which converts key topics from conversations into bullet points. Live Rewind displays text transcriptions of the previous 15 seconds of a conversation. Apple provided an example of replaying part of an exchange with a waitress at a restaurant to avoid asking for repetition.

The features are currently available only in English and remain in testing. The beta releases are first available for developers, with a public beta version typically following for consumers. The full rollout is scheduled for December.

The latest release includes support for some Apple Intelligence capabilities in China, following years of negotiations between Apple and the country. The features received approval after the inclusion of a content filter powered by Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.

The China-specific Apple Intelligence features include only the enhancements originally launched in late 2024 and early 2025 in the US, such as notification summaries, the Genmoji custom emoji maker, and writing tools. The features do not include newer capabilities like advanced photo editing, improved image generation, and Siri AI. The upgraded voice assistant relies on models from Alphabet Inc., which are not available in China.

iOS 27.3 also includes a redesigned Health app with an Insights tab for monitoring heart rate, vital signs, and fitness metrics like steps taken. A Longevity tab provides detailed information about heart, hearing, movement, metabolic, and mental health. A new Health Age feature estimates a person's age based on their health data.

Apple unveiled several privacy protections for the audio features, including an audible alert when a user requests a Live Rewind readout. The audio is processed on the device rather than through the internet. Apple stated that the underlying audio is not recorded or stored. The tools do not attribute comments to specific named individuals, and summaries may omit potentially sensitive material such as financial information, personal identifiers, or authentication data.

Apple also released the first betas of macOS 27.3, tvOS 27.3, visionOS 27.3, and iPadOS 27.3.

Original Article

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