Apple has released the iOS 14.3 Release Candidate version for developers and public beta testers, and the final release of iOS 14.3 should be landing on your iPhones on or before December 14. The biggest hint of the date comes from Apple’s announcement that the Apple Fitness+, a subscription-based fitness service powered by the Apple Watch, rolls out on December 14. And users will need iOS 14.3 to be able to sign up. The iOS 14.3 update will also introduce the much-awaited ProRAW photography mode, option to record videos at 25fps, updates for Apple TV+ and support for the new AirPods Max wireless headphones.

The iOS 14.3 update will bring support for the Apple AirPods Max headphones. The Apple AirPods Max offer high-fidelity audio, Adaptive EQ, Active Noise Cancellation, Transparency Mode and spatial audio. In each ear are 40mm audio drivers which have been designed by Apple. The company insists that the “unique dual neodymium ring magnet motor allows the AirPods Max to maintain total harmonic distortion of less than 1 percent across the entire audible range, even at maximum volume.” These headphones also utilize the prowess of the H1 chip which has 10 audio cores and can do as many as 9 billion computational calculations per second as it manages the adaptive EQ, noise cancellation, transparency mode and spatial audio options.

It is interesting to note that Apple has switched from using Gold Master to Release Candidate for what is essentially the final beta release, barring any tweaks for stability or features. Till now, Apple used the Gold Master to signify what was the final test release of an iOS build before the final version rolled out for all users.

For photography enthusiasts, the iOS 14.3 update brings the ProRAW mode to the Apple iPhone 12 Pro cameras—this basically gives you a RAW image in much larger file size than the standard images that you take, for editing along with certain tweaks on noise reduction and exposure that the algorithms would have already done for you. The ProRAW photos can be edited within the Photos app on the iPhone. There will also be an option now to record videos at 25fps. The iOS 14.3 update also brings the mirror option for selfies taken on older iPhones—the supported list includes iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone SE, iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and the iPhone X.

The Apple TV app is also getting an update with the new Apple TV+ tab which will make it easier to discover and watch the content in your subscription for the streaming platform.

The confirmation of the Apple Fitness+ subscriptions service release date not only confirms the arrival of iOS 14.3 but also the new watchOS 7.2 update for the Apple Watch. The Apple Fitness+ service works with Apple Watch Series 3 or later and subscription will be initially available in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, United Kingdom and the United States. There will be workouts and training sessions as well as personalized recommendations. The app will include video workouts with new additions every week for ten most popular workout types—these are High Intensity Interval Training, Indoor Cycling, Yoga, Core, Strength, Dance, Rowing, Treadmill Walking, Treadmill Running and Mindful Cooldown.

There will be further updates for the Health app, Weather app, Clips, and Safari, which now adds the ability to set Ecosia as your default search engine. Apple will also introduce the new privacy information section for all apps listed on the App Store. The iOS 14.3 update will also fix the MagSafe Duo Charger’s issue where it may charge an iPhone at less than maximum power, Spotlight search, MMS message stability and fixed for contact group display and video playback in the Photos app.