iOS 26.3 Release Candidate Hits Developers: Key Fixes and Lingering Mirroring Issues

CUPERTINO, CA – Apple today officially seeded the Release Candidate (RC) version of iOS 26.3 to registered developers. As the final bridge between testing and the public launch, the RC build suggests that the official rollout for all users is imminent, likely scheduled for next week.

While the update brings highly anticipated features—including a native “Transfer to Android” tool and notification forwarding for third-party wearables—it remains a mixed bag for users on Apple’s latest hardware.

Key Fixes: StoreKit Silent Errors

One of the primary technical resolutions in this build concerns StoreKit, the framework developers use to handle in-app purchases and subscriptions.

The Issue: Previously, certain app processes would fail without providing an error message, leaving developers and users in the dark.
The Resolution: iOS 26.3 RC ensures that the system now correctly throws errors, allowing apps to handle transaction failures gracefully rather than failing “silently.”

iOS 26.3 Release Candidate Hits Developers: Key Fixes and Lingering Mirroring Issues. Apple today officially seeded the Release Candidate (RC) version of iOS 26.3 to registered developers. As the final bridge between testing and the public launch, the RC build suggests that the official rollout for all users is imminent, likely scheduled for next week.

Known Issues: Continuity “Blackout” for iPhone 17 and iPhone Air

Despite reaching the Release Candidate stage, a significant regression remains for owners of Apple’s newest devices. Users of the iPhone 17 series and the ultra-slim iPhone Air are reporting that key Continuity features are currently non-functional.

According to the developer release notes, the following features are broken or unreliable on these specific models:

iPhone Mirroring: The ability to control your iPhone directly from a Mac.
AirPlay Mirroring: Streaming or mirroring content to an Apple TV 4K.
Wireless Continuity Camera: Using the iPhone’s high-quality lens as a webcam for a Mac or Apple TV 4K.

The Probable Cause: Industry analysts point toward the new N1 wireless chip and C1 baseband architecture exclusive to the 2025–2026 hardware lineup. It appears the low-level wireless handshake required for these peer-to-peer features is still being optimized for the new silicon.

What to Expect Next

Historically, Apple releases the public version of an update roughly one week after the RC build.

Expected Public Release: Between February 9 and February 11, 2026.
Developer Recommendation: If your daily workflow depends heavily on Sidecar or iPhone Mirroring, you may want to wait for the final public release notes to confirm these regressions have been addressed.