iOS 7 Beta 3 Tidbits: New App Download Animation, Thicker Fonts, Safari Improvements

Apple today released the third beta of iOS 7, which brings a number of improvements and bug fixes to the operating system. According to the release notes, double notifications have been resolved and AirPlay issues have also been fixed.

Several other minor enhancements have been bundled into the release, as noted by our forum members:

Redesigned Fonts - Fonts across a number of apps appear to have been tweaked to be thicker, using Helvetica Neue Regular instead of Ultra Light. This is most noticeable in the Messages app, where text appears to be bolded, but it can also be seen in the Weather app, the Notification Center, and the Settings menu. Panic co-founder @cabel has provided a GIF that demonstrates the differences.

notificationcenter
Safari - Safari has had the .com button removed and replaced with a simple period button. The .com, .net, and .org domain extensions can be accessed by holding down on the button.

Status Bar - The Status Bar, which provides information on cellular connection strength, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and battery life has had its size slightly increased for better readability on the lock screen.

thickerfonts
Lock Screen - When playing music, the lock screen will now display the time.

lockscreentime
Music App - The Music app has seen a slight redesign with new icons and rearranged controls. Ratings have also been re-added.

Podcasts - Apple's Podcasts app is now functional.

Calendar - In the monthly view, the Calendar app has been updated to display small gray dots on days where events are scheduled.

calendar
Siri - A number of MacRumors forum members have noted that Siri’s voice now sounds more natural.

New App Download Animation - When installing an app, iOS 7 users will see a new animation that does away with download bars in favor of a more organic circular download timer.

newdownloadanimation
Control Center - The clock located in the Control Center has seen yet another redesign, this time appearing in the original dark format that was removed during beta 2 in favor of a thinly outlined version.

controlcenterclock
Additional features in iOS 7 beta 3 will be added here as they are discovered. Apple is likely to continue pushing regular updates for iOS 7, bringing minor performance boosts and changes ahead of the operating system's public release, which is expected to come in the fall.

Related Forum: iOS 7

Top Rated Comments

Sky Blue Avatar
140 months ago
are the icons still ugly?
Score: 32 Votes (Like | Disagree)
xmichaelp Avatar
140 months ago
are the icons still ugly?

Never were.
Score: 31 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Jack97 Avatar
140 months ago
are the icons still ugly?


And the award for least original comment goes to...
Score: 30 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bradl Avatar
140 months ago
I have to admit, the layout of IOS 7 does grow on you. Yes, it is a huge departure from IOS 6, but given time, it does look simpler and sleeker.

Keeping this up, it will look nice come GM and full release.

BL.
Score: 30 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Spaceboy88 Avatar
140 months ago
Good before/after image of the interface w/bolder font:

Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
xmichaelp Avatar
140 months ago
Mavericks now, please. :D
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iPhone Home Screen Gradient Blank Spaces 1

Sources: iOS 18 Lets Apps Be Placed Anywhere on Home Screen Grid

Sunday March 24, 2024 1:33 pm PDT by
iOS 18 will give iPhone users greater control over Home Screen app icon arrangement, according to sources familiar with the matter. While app icons will likely remain locked to an invisible grid system on the Home Screen, to ensure there is some uniformity, our sources say that users will be able to arrange icons more freely on iOS 18. For example, we expect that the update will introduce...
iPad Pro 2024 Landscape Camera Feature

New iPad Pro Again Rumored to Feature Landscape Front-Facing Camera

Monday March 25, 2024 5:43 am PDT by
The next-generation iPad Pro will feature a landscape-oriented front-facing camera for the first time, according to the Apple leaker known as "Instant Digital." Instant Digital reiterated the design change earlier today on Weibo with a simple accompanying 2D image. The post reveals that the entire TrueDepth camera array will move to the right side of the device, while the microphone will...
sonoma desktop wwdc

Apple Releases macOS Sonoma 14.4.1 With Fix for USB Hub Bug

Monday March 25, 2024 10:10 am PDT by
Apple today released macOS Sonoma 14.4.1, a minor update for the macOS Sonoma operating system that launched last September. macOS Sonoma 14.4.1 comes three weeks after macOS Sonoma 14.4. The ‌‌‌‌macOS Sonoma‌‌ 14.4‌.1 update can be downloaded for free on all eligible Macs using the Software Update section of System Settings. There's also a macOS 13.6.6 release for those who...
iPhone 15 General Feature Green

Apple Says These New iOS Features Are Coming Later This Year

Sunday March 24, 2024 7:45 am PDT by
Apple has previously announced three new iOS features that it said are coming to the iPhone later this year, as outlined below. The new features include the ability to install iPhone apps on the web in the EU, RCS support in the Messages app, and next-generation CarPlay. Web Distribution Apple recently announced that eligible developers will soon be able to distribute their iOS apps to ...
Beyond iPhone 13 Better Blue Face ID Single Camera Hole

Seven Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 17

Tuesday March 19, 2024 5:20 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models concurrently, which is why we sometimes get rumored feature leaks so far ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different, and already we have some idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you plan to skip...
maxresdefault

iOS 18 Rumored to Feature 'More Customizable' Home Screen

Sunday March 24, 2024 7:10 am PDT by
iOS 18 will feature a revamped Home Screen that is "more customizable," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. He revealed this information in his Power On newsletter today, but he did not provide any specific details. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Apple will announce iOS 18 at its annual developers conference WWDC in June. Other features and changes rumored for...
combine images

Top Stories: iOS 18's Generative AI Features to Rely on Google?, Latest on New iPads, and More

Saturday March 23, 2024 6:00 am PDT by
We're getting closer to the launch of new iPad Pro and iPad Air models, while rumors about iOS 18 are continuing to ramp up with this week's surprise revelation that Apple has been talking to Google and others about potentially helping power the generative AI features expected to be a major part of this year's update. Other news this week saw the release of iOS 17.4.1 and iPadOS 17.4.1...