The BBC have released an updated version of its iPlayer application for Apple's iOS devices.

The new version enables streaming over 3G on both the Apple iPhone and iPad, which is a feature that's been missing since its release.

In the past 3G support was omitted because in order to stream video you need a strong 3G connection, which was lacking in many parts of the UK. However, with the 3G network improving BBC felt the time was right to add 3G support to the iPlayer.

The BBC have also taken steps to ensure the streaming is smooth by automatically detecting your connection speed and adjusting the video quality to suit.

We advise anyone using a 3G connection on the iPlayer to be very careful not to incur huge data charges because streaming video is incredibly bandwidth intensive.

The new version also adds support for Apple Airplay, which will enables you to stream content from your iPhone to your TV..

Sadly. Android users still have to stream over WiFi, but the BBC did confirm they are working on bringing 3G streaming to the Android version of iPlayer. We're not sure when, but once we hear any news we'll let you know.

iOS users can download the latest version of the BBC iPlayer from the App Store by clicking here.