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First beta version iOS 8.1 hits Apple’s developer center with design tweaks and bug fixes

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Apple has just released iOS 8.1 beta 1 on its developer center. The update has a build number of 12B401. As we reportedly earlier, the company is also working on iOS 8.2 and 8.3 for release in the future. The release is available for all iOS 8-compatible devices, including the Apple TV.

We’ll keep this article updated with any new changes discovered in the beta.

Notable changes:

Icons in Notification Center’s widget list are bigger

Dictation is now optional and can be disabled separately from Siri in keyboard settings:

[tweet https://twitter.com/Nkapoor124/status/516727312856133633 align=’center’]

“Recently Added” photo album is once again called “Camera Roll”

[tweet https://twitter.com/Nkapoor124/status/516731508393271297  align=’center’]

iBooks icon now matches promotional images

Screen Shot 2014-09-29 at 7.31.53 PM

Tweaks to the permissions screen for applications

[tweet https://twitter.com/Nkapoor124/status/516736006607761408 align=’center’]

Full release notes:

Notes and Known Issues
The following issues relate to using iOS SDK 8.1 to develop code.

AVCapture
Known Issue
Use of the new constant, AVCaptureISOCurrent, will result in inconsistent ISO values (as observed on the ISO property) if setExposureModeCustomWithDuration:ISO:completionHandler: is called repeatedly.
CloudKit
Note
A single CKAsset instance can no longer be set as a value on multiple CKRecords.
Contacts
Note
The Address Book UI people picker has been changed for iOS 8. A new mode with new API has been added where the app does not need access to the user’s contacts and the user will not be prompted for access. A temporary copy of the selected person is returned to the app. SeeABPeoplePickerNavigationController.h for more details.

See the new PeoplePicker: Picking a Person or Property sample project demonstrating usage of the new mode.
Document Providers
Notes
Your app needs the iCloud entitlement to be able to be used as a document provider.
The com.apple.developer.icloud-container-identifiers entitlement will be required when iOS 8 is released.
Known Issues
After rotating document picker to landscape, the status bar is hidden.
Upon bringing up document picker in landscape, the containing view may be shifted beneath the navigation bar.
Extensions
Notes
Extensions need an arm64 slice to run on 64-bit devices. If you try to run the armv7 slice on a 64-bit device it won’t work.
Apps need to have an arm64 slice if the bundle contains a framework that both the app and the app extension link against.
File System
Note
The file system layout of app containers has changed on disk. Rather than relying on hard-coded directory structure, use the NSSearchPathForDirectoriesInDomains function or the URLForDirectory:inDomain:appropriateForURL:create:error: method of the NSFileManager class. See Accessing Files and Directories in File System Programming Guide.
Fonts
Note
The Thai system font has increased in size to improve readability. This will cause clipping in many places in your UI if you don’t take appropriate action:

Use UILabel as much as possible. If you use Interface Builder, make sure that Clip Subviews is not checked. UIKit will grow the clipping region as necessary to not clip text.
Use Dynamic Type. This will ensure that you do not have overlapping glyphs in multiline labels or text fields.
If you can’t do 1 and 2 because you implement your own views, you must implement measures not to clip. You can use CoreText to figure out the appropriate clipping region for a line of text by calling:

CTLineGetBoundsWithOptions(lineRef, kCTLineBoundsIncludeLanguageExtents);
To avoid overlapping glyphs in multiline text elements, adjust the line height. An additional 30% is recommended.

This measure will also help your app perform better in other languages, including Arabic, Hindi, and Vietnamese.
GameController
Fixed in iOS 8.1 Beta
GameController forwarding may not work.
HealthKit
Note
Code that attempts to read workout information in HealthKit may be unable to make subsequent queries to HealthKit.

If you are using HKWorkouts you should avoid reading workouts when running on iOS versions prior to 8.1 with:

NSOperatingSystemVersion ios8_1_0 = (NSOperatingSystemVersion){8, 1, 0};
if ([[NSProcessInfo processInfo] isOperatingSystemAtLeastVersion:ios8_1_0]) {
// Read and write workout information to health kit.
} else {
// Write workout information to health kit
}
Fixed in iOS 8.1 Beta
Background delivery of HealthKit data does not work as expected.
iCloud
Note
Mail handoff and AirDrop may stop working after changing your iCloud password at appleid.apple.com.

Workaround: Sign out and back into iCloud on the device.
iCloud Backup
Known Issue
After restoring from iCloud backup you may be unable to sync new music or movie content from iTunes.
iCloud Drive
Note
URLForUbiquityContainerIdentifier: might return nil when running your application in Xcode. If so, open System Preferences, navigate to iCloud > iCloud Drive, and enable Xcode.
iCloud Keychain
Fixed in iOS 8.1 Beta
When logging into iCloud, a user may experience a keychain reset on their other devices that were previously in the circle.
Touch ID protected keychain items do not allow SecItemUpdate. SecItemUpdate always returns errSecInteractionNotAllowed.
Keyboards
Fixed in iOS 8.1 Beta
Network access gets disabled after adding a new keyboard from the same bundle.
Custom Keyboards may go blank after app switching.
Known Issue
3rd party keyboards may not appear in Safari, Maps or 3rd party apps on the Simulator.

Workaround: Keyboards should be testable in Calendar, Spotlight, Contacts, and Photos.
Mail
Fixed in iOS 8.1 Beta
Applying the Allow Account Modification restriction to a device with no mail accounts configured will still allow a user to create a Mail account by launching the Mail app.
Metal
Fixed in iOS 8.1 Beta
When you modify a metal file shader using offline compilation to create a metallib library that has shrunk in size, the metallib library will fail to load on the device.

Workaround: Delete the metallib library before recreating it by doing a clean in Xcode or removing the file manually before building the archive.
Notification Center
Note
The schedule and intended use of widgetPerformUpdateWithCompletionHandler: is intended as a convenient home for all data/model update logic. If implemented, the system will call at opportune times for the widget to update its state, both when Notification Center is visible, as well as in the background. An implementation is required to enable background updates. It’s expected that the widget will perform the work to update asynchronously and off the main thread as much as possible. Widgets should call the argument block when the work is complete, passing the appropriateNCUpdateResult. Widgets should NOT block returning from viewWillAppear: on the results of this operation. Instead, widgets should load cached state in viewWillAppear: in order to match the state of the view from the last viewWillDisappear:, then transition smoothly to the new data when it arrives.
NSURLSession
Note
The NSURLSessionTask class provides a new “priority” property with three associated constants: NSURLSessionTaskPriorityDefault, NSURLSessionTaskPriorityLow, and NSURLSessionTaskPriorityHigh. NSURLSessionTask priorities can be used to specify how multiple requests and responses to the same host should be prioritized. Note that the priority is a hint and not a strict guarantee of NSURLSessionTask performance.

For complete usage details of NSURLSessionTask priorities, refer to the NSURLSession.h header file, which is provided by the Foundation framework.
Phone
Note
To activate Wi-Fi Calling functionality for T-Mobile (U.S. only), follow these steps:

Go to Settings > Phone > Wi-Fi Calling.
Toggle the Wi-Fi Calling switch to ON.
If the carrier does not have the user’s registered emergency address, you will be asked to add it before the feature is activated.
Photos
Notes
Maintain a backup of your photo library before enabling and while using iCloud Photo Library beta by:

Importing to your Mac using iPhoto
Importing to your Mac using Image Capture
iCloud Photo Library beta will not download photos and videos that were synced to your device from iTunes. Any photos and videos synced to your device from iTunes will be removed when you enable iCloud Photo Library beta.
iPhoto for iOS will not launch on iOS 8 Beta. Launching Photos.app will migrate your iPhoto edits to the iOS 8 Photo Library. Make sure your iPhoto for iOS data is included in your device backup.
Fixed in iOS 8.1 Beta
The ability to automatically optimize device space is enabled for all accounts larger than 5GB.
Known Issues
If iCloud Photo Library beta is enabled, Settings -> iCloud -> Photos may crash.

Workaround: Use Settings -> Photos & Camera to manage settings for Photos.
The ability to automatically optimize device space is enabled for all accounts larger than 5GB.
When using iCloud Family Sharing, both iCloud Photo Sharing and My Photo Stream are enabled.
Provisioning Profiles
Known Issue
If you have upgraded to the 8.1 Beta from iOS 8 betas you may see your apps crashing due to provisioning profile issues.

Workaround:

Connect the device via USB to your Mac
Launch Xcode
Choose Window -> Devices
Right click on the device in left column, choose “Show Provisioning Profiles”
Click on the provisioning profile in question
Press the “-” button
Continue to removing all affected profiles.
Re-install the app
Speech Synthesis
Fixed in iOS 8.1 Beta
AVSpeechSynthesizer may not work.

Workaround: If you don’t hear speech in a particular language or dialect, go Settings > General > Accessibility > Speech >Voices >Language and download the Enhanced Quality voice for that language/dialect.
Stores
Fixed in iOS 8.1 Beta
Sometimes, loading certain pages or performing a search on the App Store or iTunes Store can be slow.
UIKit
Notes
UILabel has a default value of YES for clipsToBounds. This differs from the normal UIView default of NO.
The leftLayoutGuide and rightLayoutGuide APIs have been removed. Please use the layoutMargins property instead.
Fixed in iOS 8.1 Beta
RTF file support in UIWebView is broken.

Workaround: Show RTF files to the user is to use the Quick Look framework (QLPreviewController) or to load an NSAttributedString from the RTF file and show it in an UITextView, which will render the content in a much cleaner way.
WebKit
Note
The Navigation Timing API has been disabled only on iOS due to performance issues.
Wi-Fi Calling (T-Mobile US only)
Note
The carrier name in the status bar will show “T-Mobile Wi-Fi” when the device is able to make and receive Wi-Fi calls.

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Comments

  1. PMZanetti - 10 years ago

    Yea. Saw this coming. Makes sense. 8.1 will land within 30 days with Apple Pay.

  2. Ali Mnm - 10 years ago

    I hope this fixes my FaceTime. Since updated to iOS8 whenever using FaceTime it reconnects every 5 mins but actually never reconnects and stays like that for ever and have to end the call and call the person back again. Very frustrating. Can anybody help?

  3. PMZanetti - 10 years ago

    I’m so mad that they brought back Camera Roll. It just means that iCloud Photo Library won’t be ready for a long while. What a joke of a month this is turning out to be for Apple.

    • That actually makes no sense. Having camera roll or recently added has no effect on iCloud Photo Library…

      • PMZanetti - 10 years ago

        There is no need for a separate camera roll with iCloud Photo Library in place… Just ONE simple All Photos tab

    • taoprophet420 - 10 years ago

      ICloud Photo Libary was beta and not available to many people. “Looking at the setting for 8.0.2 it looks like they added the toggle back for iCloud Photo Libary beta” I think it will most likely stay beta till after th photos Apis released for Yosemite next year.

      Did they add the Photostream album back? I just miss being able to quickly flip through and see all the photos.

      • photostream is being killed by iCloud Photo Library. and i agree, they’ll be launching Apple Pay, iCloud Photo Library (in extended beta form), and SMS relay all next month with an update so it makes sense beta 1 dropped now and that the toggle for iCloud Photo Library is back

    • Rhys Morgan - 10 years ago

      Honestly, I think it’s because of the confusion regarding “Recently Added” and “Camera Roll” being missing. I doubt it’s anything but a rename.

    • johnd3 - 9 years ago

      I’m *tickled* that the Camera Roll is back, if in fact it restores the earlier Camera Roll, which was nothing more than an uncluttered, chronological view of all photos taken by the particular device. I don’t want every crap photo I’ve ever taken with any camera showing up in an undifferentiated album just because I imported them into iPhoto and they were uploaded to the cloud!

      Everything everywhere all the time is a nice thing to have available, but I have to be able to exercise some control over it (and something finer than “well just turn off the cloud”).

    • ? I’m happy camera roll is coming back, they should never have removed it in the first place

  4. alexfirth - 10 years ago

    Anyone got a download link for non-developers for the iPhone 6? Would be appreciated! Cheers

    • no one is gonna post it. it’s beta software and specifically for developers. you can find it if you look hard enough

    • rogifan - 10 years ago

      Just curious why a non-developer needs beta software on their phone.

      • alexfirth - 10 years ago

        Maybe this non-developer likes to test out the latest software.

      • Matt Smith - 10 years ago

        You can’t install it unless your IMEI is registered with a developer account.

      • ^yep

        plus just wait a monthish til it comes out to the public. again if you really wanna put in the effort of doing it, you can find the firmware on the interwebs and get your IMEI registered (legally or illegally). main point being, no one is going to post a download link on a news blog like 9to5mac for you

      • Brian Frazier - 10 years ago

        Just pay the $100. You can get the software with updates legally. You can still be a “non-developer”. :)

    • Lyall Meintjes - 9 years ago

      There’s tonnes of places you can download it. Try imzdl.com and click on iOS Betas. Its at the top of the list. You can even buy a UDID registration for $8.

      • dr3459 - 9 years ago

        imxdl decided not to upload 8.1 beta 1. They said it wasn’t an important enough of a beta to upload. Only site with it i know of is ATFDL

  5. Steve Grenier - 10 years ago

    Does the Camera Roll function like the old Camera Roll? i.e. do photos remain indefinitely? or are they removed 30 days later?

    • Photos are removed 30 days later only if you delete them (they are move to recently deleted photos).

      • Steve Grenier - 9 years ago

        It’s my understanding in iOS 8, the “Recently Added” section only shows photos taken in the last 30 days. The rest are moved into the main “Collections” view. I’m curious if in iOS 8.1 the Camera Roll has returned to how it behaved before, showing all photos taken on that specific device, not just those from the last 30 days.

    • Steve Williams Jr. - 9 years ago

      Yes it does. I usually don’t put betas on my personal device, but the devices I use for development don’t have any photos older than 30 days old. the loss of Camera Roll was something I absolutely HATED about iOS 8, so I had to see. Thankfully every photo on my phone (some I took with my original iPhone in 2007) is right there in Camera Roll like the good old days.

      • johnd3 - 9 years ago

        Oh, great, thanks!

        If you can say, did they also restore a separate Photostream (or cloud equivalent) album, and – if this is an iPad, the “Imported” albums? I’m frustrated that, in the future, it appears that photos I take with a camera and import will be intermingled with the iOS device photos, with no apparent way to separate them –

  6. JackBG (@IDanov) - 10 years ago

    Is it worth updating to this beta? Also what is different on the apple tv’s beta release?

  7. joshnicholson76 - 10 years ago

    Is it weird that all of the code snippets are in Objective-C? I thought Apple was pushing Swift programming language with iOS 8+ and XCode 6+?

  8. I’m still waiting for the reminder app’s bugs to be fixed…

  9. danbridgland - 9 years ago

    On the subject of a dictation toggle, Surely it’s time we receive a toggle for text to speech. I’ve tripped that damn thing so many times. At least it could be moved off to a ‘more’ section.

  10. William - 9 years ago

    Does this fix the issue where all the photos synced from your computer are put in a random order? ( https://discussions.apple.com/thread/6537791 )

  11. Dave Vaughan (@vaughaag) - 9 years ago

    Handoff working well but I cannot get SMS Relay working and Reachability seems to have stopped working for me.

    Seems to have fixed my wifi issues too.

    Having the camera roll back is useful :)

  12. dr3459 - 9 years ago

    I’m really confused. Running 8.1 beta 1 currently on iPad and iPhone and it says All Photos not Camera Roll. Also SMS relay has decided not to work. Keep trying to connect it but no codes will show on my iPad or Mac to activate it.

    • stuartrozier - 9 years ago

      this was turned off a couple weeks ago, nothing to do with the currents beta releases, they’ve turned it off their on purpose in preparation for the yosemite release end of the month

  13. Gordon Meltzer - 9 years ago

    Another change. In iOS 8.1 beta 2, its no longer “Camera Roll”. Its now “All Photos”

  14. Johnson Kirsten - 9 years ago

    Great Article! I mostly use PDFfiller to email documents. Its not the same thing, but maybe someone needs it. They have an app that can be used to view and save pdf forms. It also allows you to esign,and efax forms
    Its pretty easy to use and its pretty cheap. I think you can get a free week if you and a friend both register.
    http://goo.gl/EY5QcY