iOS 7 Beta 3 Tidbits: New App Download Animation, Thicker Fonts, Safari Improvements - MacRumorsOpen MenuShow RoundupsShow Forums menuVisit ForumsOpen Sidebar
Skip to Content

iOS 7 Beta 3 Tidbits: New App Download Animation, Thicker Fonts, Safari Improvements

Apple today released the third beta of iOS 7, which brings a number of improvements and bug fixes to the operating system. According to the release notes, double notifications have been resolved and AirPlay issues have also been fixed.

Several other minor enhancements have been bundled into the release, as noted by our forum members:

Redesigned Fonts - Fonts across a number of apps appear to have been tweaked to be thicker, using Helvetica Neue Regular instead of Ultra Light. This is most noticeable in the Messages app, where text appears to be bolded, but it can also be seen in the Weather app, the Notification Center, and the Settings menu. Panic co-founder @cabel has provided a GIF that demonstrates the differences.

notificationcenter
Safari - Safari has had the .com button removed and replaced with a simple period button. The .com, .net, and .org domain extensions can be accessed by holding down on the button.

Status Bar - The Status Bar, which provides information on cellular connection strength, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and battery life has had its size slightly increased for better readability on the lock screen.

thickerfonts
Lock Screen - When playing music, the lock screen will now display the time.

lockscreentime
Music App - The Music app has seen a slight redesign with new icons and rearranged controls. Ratings have also been re-added.

Podcasts - Apple's Podcasts app is now functional.

Calendar - In the monthly view, the Calendar app has been updated to display small gray dots on days where events are scheduled.

calendar
Siri - A number of MacRumors forum members have noted that Siri’s voice now sounds more natural.

New App Download Animation - When installing an app, iOS 7 users will see a new animation that does away with download bars in favor of a more organic circular download timer.

newdownloadanimation
Control Center - The clock located in the Control Center has seen yet another redesign, this time appearing in the original dark format that was removed during beta 2 in favor of a thinly outlined version.

controlcenterclock
Additional features in iOS 7 beta 3 will be added here as they are discovered. Apple is likely to continue pushing regular updates for iOS 7, bringing minor performance boosts and changes ahead of the operating system's public release, which is expected to come in the fall.

Related Forum: iOS 7

Popular Stories

Apple Event Logo

Apple Working on All-New Operating System

Wednesday July 29, 2026 11:39 am PDT by
Apple is developing an all-new operating system that is essentially a mix of tvOS, watchOS, and iOS, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In a report this week, he said the operating system will feature a grid of icons, widgets, and apps, along with customizable clock faces. The new software platform is intended for Apple's long-rumored smart home hub. With built-in facial recognition,...
imac video apple feature

Apple Made Its Second-Biggest Acquisition Ever This Year

Wednesday July 29, 2026 12:03 pm PDT by
Apple this year acquired Israeli startup Q.ai for close to $2 billion, according to the Financial Times. That would make this Apple's second-biggest acquisition ever, after it paid $3 billion for the popular headphone maker Beats in 2014. This is also the largest known Apple acquisition since the company purchased Intel's smartphone modem business and patents for $1 billion in 2019. Q.ai...
Dynamic Island iPhone 18 Pro Feature

iPhone 18 Pro: Twelve Changes Coming to Apple's Next Flagship

Thursday July 30, 2026 3:43 am PDT by
We're less than two months out from the launch of Apple's premium next-generation smartphone lineup, and while we're not expecting a dramatic change in terms of functionality, there are still several enhancements rumored to be coming to the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth noting is that Apple is reportedly planning a major change to its iPhone release cycle this year,...

Top Rated Comments

Sky Blue Avatar
171 months ago
are the icons still ugly?
Score: 32 Votes (Like | Disagree)
171 months ago
are the icons still ugly?

Never were.
Score: 31 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Jack97 Avatar
171 months ago
are the icons still ugly?


And the award for least original comment goes to...
Score: 30 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bradl Avatar
171 months ago
I have to admit, the layout of IOS 7 does grow on you. Yes, it is a huge departure from IOS 6, but given time, it does look simpler and sleeker.

Keeping this up, it will look nice come GM and full release.

BL.
Score: 30 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Spaceboy88 Avatar
171 months ago
Good before/after image of the interface w/bolder font:

ios 7 beta 3 tidbits new app download animation thicker fonts safari improvements image
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
171 months ago
Mavericks now, please. :D
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)

🔗 Related Apple News & Rumors

Stay updated with the latest Apple ecosystem news and verified rumors