betas

Read Cult of Mac’s latest posts on betas:

Apple finally begins beta testing iOS 17.5, macOS Sonoma 14.5

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Apple Devices Spring 2024
There are fresh operating system betas for all types of Apple computers.
Photo: Apple

After a wait that stretched out weeks longer than usual, Apple seeded the first beta of iOS 17.5 to developers Tuesday, along with the initial beta of macOS Sonoma 14.5.

And it’s going to be a very busy day for developers because iPadOS 17.5 beta 1, watchOS 10.5 beta 1, tvOS 17.5 beta 1 and visionOS 1.2 beta 1 also all went out.

Think twice before installing iOS 17 public beta

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iOS 17: Out of Focus
iOS 17 hasn’t quite come into focus yet.
Photo: Cult of Mac

Apple just gave the general public access to the latest iOS 17 beta, but before you put it on your iPhone, the Cult of Mac staff has some warnings. We’ve used the betas for weeks, and while it’s gone well for some people, it’s been a dumpster fire for others.

Public betas for macOS Sonoma and iPadOS 17 are also available, and we also have comments for anyone thinking of putting those on their Mac or iPad.

Apple isn’t done with iOS 15 and macOS 12 yet

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Apple isn’t done with iOS 15 and macOS 12 yet
Teasing begins on first betas of iOS 15.6, macOS 12.5 and more Apple operating system updates.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Apple seeded the first betas of iOS 15.6 and macOS 12.5 to developers on Wednesday, even though their replacements will be announced in less than a month. iOS 16 and macOS 13 will surely be unveiled at the WWDC developers conference in early June, but work on their predecessors goes on.

Developers were also given access to iPadOS 15.6 beta 1, watchOS 8.7 beta 1 and tvOS 15.6 beta 1.

Apple resumes beta testing upcoming iOS and macOS versions [Updated]

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Apple resumes beta testing upcoming iOS and macOS versions
Developers got their first look at macOS 12.4, iOS 15.5 and more on Tuesday. And the public could join in starting Wednesday.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

After a three-week hiatus, Apple seeded to developers beta versions of all its operating systems on Tuesday. That includes macOS Monterey 12.4, iOS 15.5 and more. On Wednesday, the public was also given the option to test these.

These pre-release versions for iPhone, Mac, iPad, Apple Watch, etc. first came out on the same day Apple announced the date for its WWDC Developers Conference. Beta testing for the five just-released OS versions is expected to end around the same time as the conference.

iOS 14.7 will bring Apple Card tweaks, Apple battery pack support

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iOS 14.7 will bring Apple Card tweaks, Apple battery pack support
iOS 14.7 brings some tweaks, but isn’t a major update.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

The release candidate for iOS 14.7 was seeded to developers on Tuesday. It includes some promised improvements to the Apple Card, and it enables users to use a just-announced MagSafe Battery Pack. In addition, it allows users to manage timers on a HomePod.

Plus, the macOS Big Sur 11.5 release candidate, iPadOS 14.7 RC, watchOS 7.6 RC and tvOS 14.7 RC were also made available for developers.

How to install the macOS Monterey public beta today

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How to install the macOS Monterey beta
You'll need a compatible Mac and around 12GB of free storage space.
Image: Apple/Cult of Mac

Anyone can put the macOS Monterey beta on their Mac — it’s no longer reserved for developers. Apple added the pre-release version to its public beta program on Thursday.

Installing it is free, and not too difficult. Here’s how begin playing with macOS Monterey yourself.

How to get the iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 public betas today

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How to get the iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 public betas today
You can try out iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 today. Here’s how to install the public betas.
Photo: Cult of Mac

iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 are now available to public beta testers ahead of a wider release. Each of these brings a whole bunch of notable changes and improvements. iPhone gets FaceTime enhancements, new controls over notifications, upgrades for Apple Maps, and many more changes. And iPad gets a revamped version of Safari, improvements to Home screen widgets, easier side-by-side multitasking, and more.

Want to try them out for yourself? We’ll show you how.

Not waiting around, Apple seeds iOS 14.6, iPadOS 14.6 beta 1 to devs

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Not waiting around, Apple seeds iOS 14.6, iPadOS 14.6 beta 1 to devs
Not one to let moss grow under its feet, Apple quickly began testing follow-up operating systems for iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Apple TV.
Photo: Cult of Mac

Apple already began testing the first betas of iOS 14.6, iPadOS 14.6, watchOS 7.5 and tvOS 14.5. Developers were seeded these on Thursday, even though the versions that were previously in beta testing have yet to be introduced to the public.

Apple tests fix for Bluetooth fault afflicting Apple Silicon Macs

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macOS 11.2 is right around the corner.
macOS Big Sur might take care of a pesky Bluetooth problem bothering M1 Mac users.
Graphic: Cult of Mac

Apple seeded a macOS Big Sur‌ 11.2 release candidate to developers on Thursday. Among other changes, it promises to improve Bluetooth reliability, which is probably music to the ears of those using the recently released Macs built around Apple’s first-generation M-series processor.

Controversial anti-tracking feature is about to go live in iOS 14

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Your iPhone will soon offer a bit more privacy.
With iOS 14.4 and iPadOS 14.4, applications will have to ask if they can track you.
Graphic: Apple

Apple seeded to developers the release candidates for iOS 14.4 and the iPad equivalent on Thursday. It’s probably the last step before a public release. Among other changes, these new versions will apparently give iPhone and iPad users the option to block third-party applications from tracking them.

Devs can also install watchOS 7.3 RC and tvOS 14.4 RC, which became available Thursday too. But macOS Big Sur 11.2 is still on Beta 2.

iOS 13 beta 8 brings Apple’s big update closer to launch

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iOS 13 on an iPhone X
Have you upgraded yet?
Photo: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

Apple is picking up the pace on its iOS 13 development by seeding the eighth beta build of the upcoming software release to developers today.

iOS 13 beta 8 and iPadOS 13 beta 8 arrive less than one week after Apple released the last beta build to developers. It’s a clear sign that the last of the bugs are getting squashed in order to ready the big update for the public launch next month.

The Drafts for Mac beta is finally here

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With Drafts for Mac, you'll never have to do this again.
With Drafts for Mac, you'll never have to do this again.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Drafts, the most useful app on iOS, is finally available for the Mac — in beta form at least. The beta can be downloaded right now, but you can only use it if you are already a Drafts Pro subscription. The Mac version of this text-wrangling masterpiece is already super-useful, and will sync perfectly with your existing iPhone and iPad versions.

Apple drops new betas for iOS 11.4.1 and tvOS

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Developers must support iPhone X screen iOS 11 SDK
iOS 11 is getting a little bit of love before iOS 12 comes out.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Developers received a fresh batch of beta software from Apple this morning, only it wasn’t the iOS 12 beta 2 that everyone was hoping for.

iOS 11.4.1 beta 3 was released to developers this morning, alongside a new beta for tvOS 11.4.1. Both builds bring a bunch of bug fixes to iPhone, iPad and Apple TV as Apple gets ready to move onto iOS 12 and tvOS 12.

iOS 11.1 beta 1 is already out for developers

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iOS 11
iOS 11 just got its first big update.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The first big beta update for iOS 11 has already arrived just over a week after Apple’s new software went live for the public.

Developers received a fresh batch of updates this morning, including iOS 11.1 beta 1 which adds a host of changes and bug fixes to Apple’s most significant software release of 2017.

Apple drops four new betas for its old platforms

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Qualcomm patents
Apple's still got some iOS 10 bugs to kill.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

While Apple is busy working toward the public release of iOS 11 and macOS High Sierra, coding is still underway on the the last updates for all of Apple’s old platforms with the release of a new batch of beta updates today.

Apple seeds new betas for iOS, macOS, tvOS and watchOS

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Qualcomm patents
Apple's got some new beta software out.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

A new batch of beta updates are ready for developers just one day after Apple published its first big software releases of 2017 to the public.

The first beta builds of iOS 10.3.2, macOS 10.12.5, tvOS 10.2.1 and watchOS 3.2.2 are available to download for the first time ever, bringing a host of new bug fixes and performance improvements to every single Apple platform.

iOS 9.3 beta 2 brings new goodies

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iOS 9.3 beta 2, now available for download. Image: Oliver Haslam - Cult of Mac
iOS 9.3 beta 2, now available for download.
Image: Oliver Haslam/Cult of Mac

Apple just seeded the latest build of iOS 9.3 to developers, with beta 2 now available to download via an over-the-air update on devices with either a current iOS 9.3 beta build installed or Apple’s developer profile configured.

The download, the third beta release of iOS 9.3 following beta 1 and the subsequent beta 1.1, doesn’t yet appear to be available via Apple’s online developer portal.

Cult of Mac Magazine: New betas, fixing Apple fitness apps, and more

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So many new betas!
So many new betas!
Cover Design: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

We’re back from CES and rounding up everything from the show, checking out the new operating system betas for your iPhone, Mac, Apple Watch and Apple TV, proposing ways to fix Apple’s fitness apps, and taking a little time to mourn David Bowie and play some retro-tastic games on Apple TV.

All this, and a lot more, coming your way in this week’s Cult of Mac Magazine.

Apple seeds OS X 10.10.5 and iOS 8.4.1 betas to developers

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iPhone continues to rock across the globe.
Both iOS and OS X get new betas today.
Photo: Rob LeFebvre/Cult of Mac

Apple seeded two new incremental updates for developers today, one for the current version of OS X Yosemite, 10.10.5, and another for iOS 8.4.1, the current version of iOS available for consumers on iPhone and iPad.

“The OS X Yosemite 10.10.5 update improves the stability, compatibility, and security of your Mac,” writes Apple in its release notes. Further details on iOS 8.4.1 are as yet unavailable.

Silicon Valley recap: It’s a goddamn meat market

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Jared and the rest of the Silicon Valley guys face a new challenge at TechCrunch Disrupt. Photos courtesy HBO
Jared and the rest of the Silicon Valley guys face a new challenge at TechCrunch Disrupt. Photos courtesy HBO

Silicon Valley, much like the place it depicts, is one big sausage fest. An “inclusive” tech conference is one where there is almost a line for the women’s bathroom and flirting involves some guy trying to exchange PGP keys with you.

So it makes sense that the show’s only main female character — Monica, the right hand of billionaire VC Peter Gregory — feels obliged to tell the crew of Pied Piper before they head to the battle at TechCrunch Disrupt that the place is a “vortex of distraction.” But it’s not the gizmos or other gimmicks, it’s the women.

“Normally, the tech world is 2 percent women, the next three days it’s 15 percent,” she warns gravely.

“It’s a goddamn meat market,” Gilfoyle deadpans.

The episode is all about how sparks fly when sex meets the single startup guy.

Some spoilers follow. Medium, though.