Rumor: Apple seeding first iOS 10.3 beta on January 10 with new ‘Theatre’ mode

iPhone 7 plus back large camera

Apple is going to begin seeding iOS 10.3 betas next week, reports Sonny Dickson. The noted tipster tweeted out over the weekend that iOS 10.3 beta 1 is currently scheduled to be released to developers on January 10 with an all-new ‘Theatre’ mode.

Dickson doesn’t go into detail on exactly what ‘Theatre’ mode is, but does say that it will feature a popcorn-shaped icon in Control Center. It’s possible this is a stealth mode of sorts, with either a dimmed display or dark UI assets for less distraction.

There’s no indication of the origin for the intel, but Dickson has in the past proven to have well-placed sources. It’s also worth noting we’ve seen a bit of an uptick in iDB’s analytics within the last month or so of visits from devices said to be running iOS 10.3.

idb

Apple in December launched iOS 10.2 to the public, with new wallpapers, widgets and emoji, the new TV app, and various other improvements. Developers right now are able to run the second beta of 10.2.1, which is expected to be a far more tame update.