Tag: iOS/watchOS/iPadOS

 

By Malcolm Owen
Thursday, December 05, 2019, 01:09 pm PT (04:09 pm ET)

Apple is now on its fourth round of betas for the current cycle of operating system tests, with new developer betas of iOS 13.3, iPadOS 13.3, tvOS 13.3, and watchOS 6.1.1 now available to download.

The newest builds can be downloaded via the Apple Developer Center for those enrolled into the test program, or via an over-the-air update on devices running the beta software. Public betas typically arrive within a few days of the developer versions, via the Apple Beta Software Program website.

The third round of betas were released on November 20, with the second out on November 12, and the first on November 5.

The beta for iOS 13.3 fixed multitasking issues in iOS 13.2, one which killed background app processes and left users losing work or progress in the apps. Another update from the first beta saw the Apple Watch app icon changed to show a grey center in the Digital Crown instead of black.

Other updates in subsequent betas included the ability to disable Memoji on the keyboard, and a category for communications in Screen Time. Support for NFC, USB, and Lightning security keys in Safari via the WebAuthn standard is also available, albeit compatibility isn’t extended to all wireless versions at this time.

Both AppleInsider and Apple itself strongly recommend users don’t install the betas on to “mission-critical” or primary devices, as there is the remote possibility of data loss or other issues. Instead, testers should install betas onto secondary or non-essential devices, and to make sure there are sufficient backups of important data before updating.

Find any changes in the new betas? Reach out to us on Twitter at @AppleInsider or @Andrew_OSU, or send Andrew an email at [email protected].

 

By Malcolm Owen
Thursday, October 10, 2019, 10:03 am PT (01:03 pm ET)

Apple is now on its second set for this round of betas, with new second builds of iOS 13.2 and iPadOS 13.2 available for testing by developers along with the second tvOS 13.2 beta and watchOS 6.1’s third beta.

The latest builds can be downloaded by developers in the beta-testing scheme via the Apple Developer Center, or as an over-the-air update for hardware already using earlier beta builds. A public beta version of the releases is expected to start arriving soon, and will be available through the Apple Beta Software Program website.

The first set of betas for iOS 13.2 and iPadOS 13.2 were issued on October 2, at the same time as the first tvOS 13.2 beta and the second watchOS 6.1 beta. After the frantic pace of betas for the milestone versions, Apple is expected to take things slower once more, until the updates are close to being released.

In the first iOS 13.2 beta, Apple added Deep Fusion, the comapany’s computational photography feature that takes and compiles multiple shots into one high-detail image. Apple also updated the Settings app to include a Research category within Privacy, a contextual menu for the TV app when using 3D Touch or Haptic Touch, volume slider changes in Control Center, Announce Messages with Siri, and alterations to Apple Music and HomeKit.

New resources in the beta also pointed to a new set of noise-cancelling AirPods with an updated design. Lastly, iPadOS 13.2 pulls the Home Screen and Dock settings into their own category rather than residing under Display and Brightness in the Settings app, while the Slide Over app switcher can also close windows just like the full-screen apps.

Both AppleInsider and Apple itself strongly recommend users don’t install the betas on to “mission-critical” or primary devices, as there is the remote possibility of data loss or other issues. Instead, testers should install betas onto secondary or non-essential devices, and to make sure there are sufficient backups of important data before updating.

Find any changes in the new betas? Reach out to us on Twitter at @AppleInsider or @Andrew_OSU, or send Andrew an email at [email protected].