Apple's first iOS 27.3 developer beta carries a set of StandBy upgrades that debuted on the iPhone Duo and now extend to every iPhone that can run the update, according to Apple's release notes as cited by MacRumors.
What changes
StandBy is the full-screen display mode that appears when an iPhone is charging while on its side. On the iPhone Duo it also works when the device is folded, even without a charger. With iOS 27.3, several of the options built for that device are being opened up to iPhone 11 and newer.
MacRumors lists these additions for compatible models:
- Redesigned Analog and Digital clock faces, with more choices for color and complications.
- An updated Photos face that lets you pick Shared Albums as a source.
- New faces, including Calendar and Weather.
- The ability to create several versions of each face type and swipe between them.
Timing
The features arrived with the first iOS 27.3 developer beta, which Apple seeded on November 3. Apple has said the update is due for public release in December. A public beta of iOS 27.3 and macOS Golden Gate 27.3 followed on November 5.
As with any beta software, the feature set could still change before the final release, and Apple has not said whether every face will behave identically on older hardware.
Other additions in the beta
The same build includes vertical tabs in Safari, the return of the redesigned Health app, and a first batch of Apple Intelligence features for China, according to MacRumors' roundup of the release.
Why it matters
StandBy has been a niche feature for many owners, largely tied to a nightstand or desk charger. Giving it more customizable faces, and the option to keep several variants of each, makes it more useful as a glanceable display on older iPhones, and shows Apple moving iPhone Duo software ideas to the wider iPhone line within weeks of that device's launch.
Source: MacRumors (Joe Rossignol), citing Apple.
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