Apple releasing first iOS 12.2 public beta later today

Guilherme Rambo | Jan 28 2019 - 9:11 am PT

Apple is releasing the first public beta of iOS 12.2 later today, three days after releasing its first iOS 12.2 developer beta on Thursday.

With its first developer beta, we found evidence of a new generation of AirPods, the Apple News subscription service, new iPads and iPod touch, and many other changes and improvements. It’s likely that tvOS 12.2 public beta 1 and macOS 10.14.4 public beta 1 will also become available; we will update the post if they are released.

For customers, iOS 12.2 introduces support for the recently announced AirPlay 2 and HomeKit smart TVs while introducing a handful of other changes and improvements.

The first iOS 12.2 public beta should be available shortly. Apple’s public beta program allows iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch users to run pre-release versions of Apple’s software ahead of the official release. Apple’s developer program requires a $99/year membership, but public beta testers can run pre-release software and share feedback with Apple for free by enrolling in the public beta program.

While updates like iOS 12.1.3 typically focus on bug fixes and security improvements, Apple sometimes uses updates like iOS 12.2 to introduce minor new features and changes before major new versions later in the year.

Changes so far include:

Initial support for AirPlay 2 TVs in the Home app for HomeKit
Screen Mirroring icon in Control Center changed
Control Center tile for Apple TV Remote now works with AirPlay 2 TVs too and has been redesigned
Stocks app icon for Mac has been redrawn (likely a mistake)
Apple News expanding to Canada
‘Last Transaction’ UI in Wallet updated, easier to see transaction details
Signs of Apple News Premium with paid access
Air Quality now included in Maps (toggle in Settings)
Websites can now automatically use dark mode themes in Safari 12.1 on macOS 10.14.4, previously limited to Safari Technology Preview
Richer Siri assets like an in-line music player