Apple just seeded the seventh Developer beta of the next iOS and iPadOS version. This is the latest stage of a debugging process expected to end in September.
UPDATE: iOS 13 Public beta 6 just launched as well, so anyone who wants to try this new version can. The same goes for iPadOS Public beta 6.
All the new features are already in earlier betas. Like other recent versions, today’s just fix bugs and tweak the user interface. Still, Apple seems to have already made real progress in debugging these upcoming operating systems.
Plenty it look forward to
For iPhone users, iOS 13 brings a Swype-like keyboard, more Memoji, a redesigned Photos app, and many other changes.
Tablet fans get more substantial enhancements, with iPadOS 13 allowing two windows to be opened by the same application, mouse support, and full access to external drives.
Developer beta 6, released last week, took a big jump on stability. But each new pre-release version has the potential to introduce new problems. The goal is for bugs to be weeded out, but mistakes happen.
iOS 13 beta 7 only for developers and the public
As their names indicate, iOS 13 Developer beta 7 and iPadOS 13 Developer beta 7 are only for paying members of the Apple Developer Program.
Developers get each new version before the general public because devs are assumed to be more tolerant of buggy software. If a major problem crops up in a pre-release version, they’ll identify it before it affects beta testers who aren‘t developers.
UPDATE: But it turns out Apple didn’t make the public wait very long. Just hours after the developer versions came iOS 13 public beta 6, along with iPadOS public beta 6. These are available to anyone in the free Apple Beta Software Program.
In previous rounds of beta releases, Apple introduced the public version a full day after the developer one. That this one came in only hours is likely a sign the company is getting more confident in these pre-release versions.
