Screen Time improvements move closer with third iOS 13.3 beta

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iPadOS 13.3 Developer beta
Developers can download iPadOS 13.3, along with the nearly identical iOS 13.3.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Pre-release testing of iOS 13.3 and the iPad equivalent keeps chugging along. This is the third week in a row Apple introduced new beta versions.

When the full version is released, it will add an important feature to Screen Time, allowing parents to limit with whom their children communicate.

Coming in iOS 13.3 and iPadOS 13.3

In addition to a few small tweaks, the biggest change to appear so far in iOS 13.3 is Screen Time Communication Limits. These enable parents to restrict a child to talking or messaging with a specified list of contacts after hours.

This operating system update will also doubtless fix plenty of bugs. Since its debut in September, iOS 13 has been plagued with an unusual number of these, requiring Apple to bring out multiple patches just to fix problems. There was a new version released just last week.

It’s almost enough to make one a triskaidekaphobe.

Download Developer Beta 3 now

As is Apple’s long-held practice, developers get first dibs on the latest iOS and iPadOS betas. Public versions are expected soon — probably tomorrow. Until then, access to these pre-release editions are only for those in the Apple Developer Program who have paid their $99 a year fee.

When those not brave or foolhardy enough to install betas will be able to install iOS 13.3 is a matter for speculation. It all depends on how quickly the debugging process goes. The release could be next week, or it could be mid-December.

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