Find My AirPods enters public beta

Anyone can beta test latest mobile OS, reveals Susie Ochs

Just two days after Apple unleashed iOS 10.3 to developers, members of the public beta program have access to it, too. Anyone who wants to kick the tires of the first public beta can join the beta program by visiting beta.apple.com and signing in with your Apple ID.

Its big selling point is a great new feature for AirPods owners, letting them locate a misplaced Pod by firing up the Find My iPhone app and having the earphones play a sound. This plays if the AirPods are anywhere in Bluetooth range of any of your Apple devices signed into the same iCloud account. If your Pods are out of range or totally dead, the Find My iPhone app can let you know where they were last ‘seen’ by Bluetooth. It’s pretty handy.

That isn’t the only thing new in iOS 10.3, though. The Settings app gets a new Apple ID Profile page, that collects all the information and settings tied to your Apple ID in one place, which should make Settings easier to navigate. Also in Settings, you’ll see a better explanation of what is taking up your iCloud storage.

As always, be sure to back up your device before you upgrade to the beta. And then be sure to do your duty by reporting bugs with Apple’s Feedback Assistant app, which is automatically installed.