Public beta testers can now try the new OS X 10.11.4 prerelease that first hit developers earlier this week. New features include Live Photo viewing and sharing in Messages, secure password protection for individual notes in Apple’s Notes app, and other improvements. Check out our full coverage of OS X 10.11.4 and other betas released earlier this week below:
The public beta version of iOS 9.3 for non-developer testers is now available. The first iOS 9.3 beta was first released earlier this week to registered developers and includes a number of new mid-cycle features and enhancements. These include secure passwords and Touch ID protection for Notes, a new Night Shift feature to adjust display temperate in the evening, and expanded 3D Touch quick actions on the latest iPhones. iOS 9.3 Beta 1.1 is also available for registered developers.
Update: Apple has also today released the first OS X 10.11.2 El Capitan beta build to public beta testers. This build follows the public launch of OS X 10.11.1 last week. You can sign up to join the public beta program on Apple’s beta testing website
Following this week’s release to developers, Apple has seeded the first version of iOS 9.2 to public beta testers. The update brings some important changes to the Safari View Controller, which serves as the in-app browser for many apps in iOS 9.
Those changes include the ability to reload a page without content blockers and the option to use any type of Safari extension (previously certain kinds of extensions would not be offered in the share sheet).
With no users reporting crippling issues on the developer version released yesterday, Apple has pushed out a second public beta of iOS 9.1 to users running the pre-release OS. The software update includes the new emojis from the first beta, and a new setting introduced in this build that allows users to disable contact photos in Messages.
iOS 9 marked the first major version of the iPhone and iPad software that Apple opened up for public beta testing after a similar trial run with iOS 8.3 last year. As many users have noticed, Apple’s public beta program is continuing with the upcoming iOS 9.1 release available as an OTA (over-the-air) update for non-developer testers, but many users will surely want to hop off the beta train and onto the stable release cycle with today’s iOS 9.0 release.
Several readers have already asked about downgrading from the iOS 9.1 public beta to today’s iOS 9.0 release, and while it’s possible it does come at a cost: potentially losing some important data. If moving from iOS 9.1 public or even dev beta to today’s official iOS 9.0 release is worth it for you, read on for a detailed guide for doing just that.
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iOS 9.0 may not yet be available to the public, but Apple is already seeding the next version of the mobile operating system to testers. Yesterday developers got their hands on the first version of iOS 9.1, and today the same has been made available for users on the public iOS beta.
To download the new build, which includes support for new emoji characters, users can head over to the Apple Beta website and enroll their iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. After a reboot, iOS 9.1 should show up under the Software Update tab in the Settings app.
Following the release of the sixth developer seed yesterday, Apple has pushed out an update for users who are part of the OS X beta testing program. This fourth beta introduces the same changes that were added to the developer branch yesterday.
We know the developer behind the popular RSS client Reeder has been working on a version 3.0 update for OS X 10.10 Yosemite as we last saw a teaser in April. Today users get the first chance to try out the redesigned RSS service reader as the first public beta for Reeder 3 has gone live. The updated version sports a user interface designed for Yosemite and beyond, more themes for making reading comfortable, and even a few OS X El Capitan features. Reeder says the new version will be available as a free update to current Reeder 2 customers when it’s completed.
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Apple today released OS X 10.11 Public Beta 3 to non-developer testers trying El Capitan ahead of its public release later this fall. The latest public beta version follows the off-cycle release of OS X 10.11 developer beta 5 seeded out on Monday.
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Following this week’s fourth developer preview of OS X 10.11, Apple has released the second El Capitan public beta to testers. The OS X public beta allows Mac users to test the new features included in the operating system update and submit feedback ahead of its public release later this fall. Participation in Apple’s public beta program does not require a paid developer member account. OS X 10.11 public beta 2 includes the same changes as yesterday’s OS X 10.11 beta 4 release.
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Roughly two weeks after the initial release, Apple has pushed out an update to users testing the iOS 9 public beta on iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. The latest public beta release follows the earlier release of iOS 9 beta 4 for registered developers developing for the upcoming operating system update. iOS 9 is set to be completed and shipped to all users later this fall. iOS 9 public beta 2 mirror’s yesterday’s iOS 9 beta 4 release.
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This week we’re talking iOS 9 beta 3. What’s new? Why should you care? We’ll go over all of the new and upcoming features in iOS 9 as well as a new public beta program for iOS 9 and OS X El Capitan. Along with that, we discuss Apple’s new watchOS 2 downgrade protocol and some great news for iOS device owners in the UK. The Happy Hour podcast is available for download on iTunes and through our dedicated RSS feed.
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Update: The public beta is now available via Apple’s Beta Program site. Instructions on how to go about installing can be found here.
Alongside the public beta of OS X 10.11 El Capitan, Apple today has announced that it will release the public beta of iOS 9 later today. The public beta will allow users to test the new features of iOS 9 before Apple launches in a stable build of the operating system this fall. Users can sign up to be a Beta Program member on Apple’s Beta Program site.
Update: The OS X El Capitan beta is now available via Apple’s website. Instructions on how to enroll your device in the program and update can be found here.
Apple’s public beta of OS X El Capitan will be released today, according to Apple’s website. The build is meant to be tested by users wanting to preview the upcoming version of the operating system, which will be released for free this fall. Users can sign up to be an OS X Beta Program member on Apple’s site here.
Up until recently, unfinished “beta” versions of iOS and OS X were only officially available to registered Apple developers, enabling companies to make their apps compatible before the operating systems were publicly released. But to increase openness and expand its pool of beta testers, Apple decided to offer “public betas” of both iOS and OS X to interested users, starting with iOS 8.4 and OS X Yosemite. Very soon, both iOS 9 and OS X El Capitan will become available as public betas under the Apple Beta Software Program, which you can sign up for here.
Should you install these new and unstable betas on your iPad, iPhone, or Mac? What can you really expect after doing so? Below, I’ll provide you with some guidance so you can make an informed decision to participate in the public betas, or hold off…
In addition to releasing the second beta versions of iOS 8.4 with the all-new Music app, Apple today issued a new pre-release build of OS X Yosemite 10.10.4 for testers. The latest build comes in at 14E11f. The update is available for both developers and public beta testers.
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Three days after the last release, Apple has seeded an updated build of the OS X 10.10.3 software update for Mac. The new build ranks in at 14D130a, just a few steps above the 14D127 build released at the start of the week, for both developers and public beta testers. The update measures in at 1.52GB and highlights stability and security improvements.
The new version of OS X Yosemite includes the all-new Photos for Mac app, new and diverse emoji characters, improved login for Google accounts, and developer APIs for Force Touch on the new 12-inch MacBook and 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro. While Apple has not shared the exact release date for OS X 10.10.3, it describes the included Photos app as “coming this spring” meaning the public release is likely imminent.
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Apple has just seeded the latest beta of iOS 8.3 to its public beta users. The first beta was sent out just under two weeks ago. The build is also available over-the-air to developers, making it the fourth beta for those users. It’s also available on the iOS developer center.
Along with the new iOS beta comes a new Xcode beta. The Xcode 6.3 beta comes with a build number of 6D554n and includes support for Swift 1.2. A beta update for the third-generation Apple TV has also been pushed out.
Welcome to Happy Hour 006. In this episode Zac, Seth, and Benjamin discuss new Apple Watch details and wrap up the need-to-know information, a new controversial Steve Jobs documentary, and the future of USB-C. How will it affect future iOS devices and Macs? The Happy Hour podcast is available for download on iTunes and through our dedicated RSS feed…
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Less than a week following the previous seed, Apple has released build 14D105 of the upcoming OS X Yosemite 10.10.3 to both developers and users of the Public Beta. Apple has not yet said when 10.10.3 will be released to all OS X Yosemite users, but the increase in seeds in recent weeks likely indicates that a wider launch is fast approaching. As we’ve previously detailed, 10.10.3 will include the all new iCloud-based Photos app for the Mac, developer APIs for the new Force Touch Trackpad on the MacBook and MacBook Pro with Retina display, and a new Emoji picker across the system.
Confirming our earlier suspicions, Apple today showed off some new features for its iWork suite of apps, which includes both Mac and iOS versions of the Pages, Numbers, and Keynote apps. While Apple confirmed that new versions of the apps for Mac and iOS would be coming later in the year, it spent its presentation today showing off brand new web versions of the apps designed to run right in the browser through iCloud.com. The new web apps, available initially only to developers starting today, will be dubbed ‘iWork for iCloud’ and bring web apps to iCloud that will compete directly with Google Docs and Google’s other suite of web apps.
Apple execs spent much of the time on stage showing off the new Pages for iCloud app, demoing how users can drag and drop Microsoft Word files and other documents directly into the iCloud.com UI in their browser to begin editing a document. Apple also briefly demoed presentations and spreadsheets running in web versions of the Numbers and Keynote apps.
During the demo of the new iWork for iCloud apps, Apple also made a point of noting that the new apps run in any browser by showing off the apps running on Windows 8.
The new apps are available as developer beta starting today. A public beta of the new iWork for iCloud apps will be arriving later this year. Apple didn’t mention any details regarding pricing, or whether or not the web apps will be a separate purchase from the apps currently available on Mac and iOS.
