Danny Weber
18:18 16-12-2025
© RusPhotoBank
Explore iOS 26.3 beta: built-in iPhone-to-Android transfer, EU-only notification forwarding to third-party watches, new Weather Wallpapers, and January launch.
Apple has begun testing iOS 26.3, the next step in the iOS 26 cycle slated for a January release. With the holidays in the mix, this is a compact build: no splashy features, but meaningful system tweaks that touch the broader ecosystem, notifications, and interface styling. Here are the key changes in the first beta.
iOS 26.3 introduces a built-in tool for moving data from an iPhone to Android devices. To kick off the transfer, you simply bring the iPhone close to an Android phone — no third-party apps required. The system can move photos and videos, messages and contacts, notes and passwords, the app list, and phone numbers.
Health data, Bluetooth devices, and protected items like locked notes are not copied. Google offers a similar capability on its side, which makes data exchange between the platforms genuinely two-way. It is a practical quality-of-life change that favors convenience over spectacle.
One of the most talked-about additions is the new Notification Forwarding option. It lets an iPhone send notifications to third-party wearables, including Android smartwatches. There is an important constraint: notifications can be forwarded to only one device. If forwarding to a non-Apple watch is enabled, Apple Watch stops receiving alerts.
Apple added this feature in response to antitrust concerns. For now, it is available only to users in the European Union. The rollout feels deliberately cautious — useful, but tightly scoped.
Apple continues to refine lock screen personalization. In iOS 26.3, Weather Wallpapers get their own section, previously bundled with astronomy backdrops. Users can pick from three preset weather looks: with different time display styles, various weather widgets, and dynamic visual effects. The result is simpler setup and a clearer, more immediate read of the chosen style.
iOS 26.3 is available for all iPhone models that support iOS 26. There are no model-level changes compared with the previous release.
The final version of iOS 26.3 is expected by late January. As subsequent betas arrive, the list of changes may expand.