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iOS 13.3 update – three welcome changes in latest release

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iOS 13 has had a shaky start, with considerably more bug-fixing updates than usual since their arrival in September.

Now the worst of the bugs have been dealt with, Apple is free to update some of its features in this latest update. iOS 13.3 is now available and comes with the following notable changes.

Firstly, Apple has added some new parental controls to the Screen Time section of Settings. This is a welcome change and one parents have been asking for – they’ll now be able to limit communication apps more precisely and manage their kids’ contacts remotely.

Secondly, it’s now possible to turn off the Memoji stickers section from the iOS emoji keyboard. Since the stickers were introduced earlier this year, they’ve been at the forefront of the emoji section. Though the stickers can be pretty fun, a great many users never use them and would rather have the old layout back. That can now be done from Settings > General > Keyboard > Memoji Keyboard.

The last change that made us smile is the decision to restore an old capability to iOS – when editing a video clip, you now (once again) have the option to keep the trimmed clip alongside the original instead of overwriting it. This may sound like a minor change but its removal was a pretty frustrating one, so it’s nice to see Apple rolling back the clock.

Of course, there are the usual smaller fixes too – and you may notice some new layouts in News and Stocks. But the above three are the changes we’re most pleased to see.

As ever, Apple has also released an iPadOS 13.3 update to address similar issues on its flagship tablet.

How to update

To get iOS or iPadOS 13.3, simply follow the instructions in SettingsGeneral > Software Update. Then simply follow the instructions to download and install the update.

These days, you don’t need much storage space free to update – your device will intelligently offload apps while it installs the update and then put them right back again when it’s finished.

It’s generally a good idea to back up your device before a big iOS update, to ensure your data is safe in case anything goes wrong – the easiest way to do this is using iCloud Backup in Settings.