Apple releases iOS 7.0.3 update, brings iCloud Keychain, iMessage fixes, and more
Apple has released the iOS 7.0.3 update for users running iOS 7, 7.0.1 or 7.0.2 on their iPhone 4 (or later), iPad 2 (or later), iPad mini (or later), and the iPod touch (fifth-generation) devices.
The iOS 7.0.3 update brings a number of new features including support for iCloud Keychain, which Apple had initially announced when it first showcased the OS at the WWDC event in June.
The new iOS 7 update is a 67.7MB download on an iPhone 5, and can be downloaded over the air on devices or via iTunes on computers.
As we mentioned, the iOS 7.0.3 update adds iCloud Keychain that allows users to save and sync account user names, passwords, and credit card numbers across all their approved iOS and Mac (the ones that run OS X Mavericks) devices in the Safari web browser.
It also brings the Password Generator through which Safari suggests unique, hard-to-guess passwords for users' online accounts. The update also brings back the ability to search the web and Wikipedia through Spotlight search, allowing users to search for keywords directly via iOS' universal search feature.
These two features were not introduced with the initial release of iOS 7, as they need users to run OS X Mavericks on their Macs if they want to benefit from the sync feature. Mavericks was made available only on Tuesday.
A number of users complained about iOS 7's motion graphics and animations and to address these issues, Apple has enhanced the Reduce Motion setting to minimise both motion and animation in the OS UI. It also updates the Bold Text setting to change dial pad text.
The 7.0.3 update also delays the display of "slide to unlock" when Touch ID is in use, for iPhone 5s users.
In addition to new features, the iOS 7.0.3 update also brings a number of fixes to the OS. It fixes iMessages issues that were being reported by a number of users including message sending failures and activation problems.
The update also fixes an accelerometer calibration issue. It's worth pointing out that it was reported that the iPhone 5s motion sensors were not giving accurate readings. The update might be able to fix the issue.
The 7.0.3 update addresses an issue that could cause Siri and VoiceOver to use a lower quality voice and one that could cause VoiceOver input to be too sensitive. It also improves system stability when using iWork apps, following reports of the iPhone 5s crashing while using the apps.
Interestingly, there's also a security fix as Apple mentions that the update fixes a bug that could allow someone to bypass the Lock screen passcode.
Apple had previously released the iOS 7.0.2 update in September to fix the lock screen vulnerabilities that were discovered after the public release of iOS 7.
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