New iOS 8.3 Features: Speaker Calls With Siri, No Password Required to Download Free Apps

[MacRumors]

The most recent iOS 8.3 beta was seeded to developers on March 12, but even though its been in the hands of testers for over a week, people are still discovering hidden features. Over the weekend, two new iOS 8.3 features were found, including an update to Siri and an update to app purchase settings.

With the iOS 8.3 beta 3 installed, users can now ask Siri to make phone calls using the iPhone's speaker. If you ask Siri to "Call [name] on speaker," the call will be made via speakerphone, enhancing Siri's hands-free capabilities. If you make the same request in iOS 8.2, Siri ignores the "on speaker" part and places the call as normal.

The new feature makes it possible to activate Siri while plugged in by saying "Hey Siri" and make a phone call, all without needing to touch the phone or put on a headset for hands-free operation.

In the Settings menu of an iOS device running iOS 8.3 beta 3, there's a new option under iTunes & App Store labeled "Password Settings." In this section, there is an option to change the password settings for purchases and in-app purchases, choosing options to either "Always Require" a password when making a purchase, or to "Require After 15 Minutes."

"Always Require" and "Require After 15 Minutes" are not new settings -- the options have previously been located within the Restrictions section of the Settings app -- but a user is required to select one in order to access a new password toggle setting, which lets users toggle the password requirement for free apps on and off. When toggled on, downloads labeled as "GET" in the App Store will not require a password.

Apple's new Password Settings are not functional right now, returning a "Cannot connect to iTunes Store" message when tapped, but it's likely they will be made available in a later beta ahead of the update's public release. The Password Settings menu can also be found under General --> Restrictions.

In addition to the newly discovered features listed above, iOS 8.3 adds quite a bit of new functionality to Apple's mobile operating system. Earlier betas have introduced a wireless CarPlay feature and several emoji changes, like a new emoji picker, diversified emoji with skin tone modifiers, new flags, and new icons for the watch, phone, and computer emoji, which now resemble an Apple Watch, an iPhone, and an iMac. Most notably, keyboard spacing has been changed to prevent users from hitting the period key when they meant to hit the space key when searching in Safari.

There's also support for Google two-factor authentication when adding Google accounts on iOS, Apple Pay support for China UnionPay, new Siri languages, filtering options for Messages, and more. We've been keeping a complete list of iOS 8.3 changes in our iOS 8 Features Roundup.

Article Link: New iOS 8.3 Features: Speaker Calls With Siri, No Password Required to Download Free Apps

 

[dlewis23]

I really like the no password to download free apps. Glad its finally coming.

 

[BCWorld]

yay! cutting edge!!! it only took apple 4 years to add this!!!

 

[retroneo]

You can't get Siri to use the speaker with FaceTime Audio though :-(

 

[BillyBobBongo]

It's amazing that Siri has been unable to complete such a simple task as this. Looking forward to this update!

 

[bawbac]

Free apps are not dangerous...

 

[PowerBook-G5]

Question: If you have it so that you don't have to input the password for free apps, do you still have input your password for downloading updates to apps?

 

[Tycho24]

I really like the no password to download free apps. Glad its finally coming.

Yeah.
That would be great...

Too bad this only works if you disable TouchID.

 

[Aniseedvan]

I just wish Hey siri would consistently work...

 

[djtech42]

I can't find this Password Settings screen anywhere...

 

[AlecZ]

"No Password Required to Download Free Apps"
Since iOS 2, this has been one of the most coveted features. Why the heck would it want a password to download a free app? I know, some people are really sensitive and don't want someone to download free apps on their phones when they're not looking, but I seriously doubt very many people care. But this makes TouchID much less useful now.

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Question: If you have it so that you don't have to input the password for free apps, do you still have input your password for downloading updates to apps?

Did you ever have to do that? I don't remember having to input a password to update things. Just tried it, and it didn't ask for one.

 

[techguy9]

How did they get Tim's number? I would really want to call him .

 

[marvz]

"No Password Required to Download Free Apps"
Since iOS 2, this has been one of the most coveted features. Why the heck would it want a password to download a free app? But this makes TouchID much less useful now.

I read this option doesn't exist if TouchID is enabled.

 

[greytmom]

Siri won't dial Tim Cook for me...

 

[The Doctor11]

It's about time! I have always wondered what the hell I needed a password for to get free apps.

 

[AlecZ]

I just wish Hey siri would consistently work...

It works for me, but it sometimes has false positives. I'll be talking to someone in my room and see Siri randomly start listening to the conversation.

 

[DougTheImpaler]

I just wish Hey siri would consistently work...

I have set it off by accident more often than I've gotten it to work intentionally. Although for a while I was trying to do it without the phone being plugged in, which is a requirement...

 

[caliguy]

yay! cutting edge!!! it only took apple 4 years to add this!!!

The lack of Siri functionality up until now astounds me. There is so much potential, just from a data collection standpoint, of Apple being able to target the most used items of request and adding those in.

Siri should constantly be surprising us with new functionality that is added on the backend - no software update required.

 

[PowerBook-G5]

Did you ever have to do that? I don't remember having to input a password to update things. Just tried it, and it didn't ask for one.

Yes, I always have to inout my password. I actually like this, because I have a few apps that I never update, and I don't want to accidentally update them. I actually have, under Restrictions, the option for "require password immediately" selected (by my own choice).

 

[nazaar]

that speaker phone dialing just seems like a no brainer to me

 

[C DM]

Question: If you have it so that you don't have to input the password for free apps, do you still have input your password for downloading updates to apps?

Don't recall ever needing a password to update an up (or even to download a previously installed app that you deleted at some point).

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It's about time! I have always wondered what the hell I needed a password for to get free apps.

Similar to usually needing a password to install an application on your Mac, for example. I'm not really for it, but it seems like there are some applicable reasons that support it working like that.

 

[Northgrove]

How did they get Tim's number? I would really want to call him .

Are you sure you are asking Siri to call "Tim Cook"? As far as I know, that should do the trick!

 

[bushido]

what I still find utterly annoying is that u have to enter your apple ID password after a reboot on the store. I mean you already put in your passcode and your touch id after a reboot... why isn't TouchID enough to verify it is really you making the purchase? doesn't apple believe in its own invention?

 

[elmateo487]

I really like the no password to download free apps. Glad its finally coming.

Yeah. It's really hard for me to hold my thumb on the touchID. Oh wait....

 

[hlfway2anywhere]

Too bad there's no setting to make the iPhone 6 Plus stop unlocking in landscape even thought you're holding it in portrait or to make 3rd party keyboards stop crashing / not loading.