| Cult of Mac

Latest macOS Catalina beta lets you dump iTunes (if you dare)

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macOS Catalina
macOS left the desert of Mojave for the island of Catalina.
Photo: Apple

Anyone who’s fed up with iTunes can put the latest pre-release version of macOS Catalina on their Mac now and start using the new Apple Music, Apple Podcast and Apple TV apps instead. Of course, today’s public beta, the fourth in the series, comes with a long list of known problems so it might not be worth the hassle.

iOS 13 and iPadOS 13 move closer with fourth public betas

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iOS 13
iOS 13 is probably less than two months away.
Screen capture: Apple

Anyone brave enough to install onto their iPhone or iPad pre-release versions of Apple’s next operating systems can grab the latest betas. Everyone has access to iOS 13 and iPad OS 13 Public beta 4 just a day after developers got their own new version.

In addition, developers received their fifth beta of watchOS 6.

How to prepare your iPad or iPhone for the iOS 13 and iPadOS public betas

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iOS 13 could render your iPhone useless.
iOS 13 could render your iPhone useless.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

The iOS 13 and iPadOS public betas are here. And if you plan to test them, you need to take a few steps to get ready. And remember, you will be testing them. Or, more likely, you’ll be testing your own patience.

The early betas are almost always buggy, screwy and crashy. You may lose work. Weird things may happen to your iCloud data. Your favorite (and essential) apps may flat-out fail to launch.

But still, these public betas are already more stable than the very raw early developer versions. If you’re planning on trying them out, here’s how to do it.

iOS 12.3 beta 2 enhances Apple TV app

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The Apple TV app gets a raft of new features in iOS 12.3.
The Apple TV app gets a raft of new features in iOS 12.3.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Both the general public and developers can now download the second beta of iOS 12.3. When the final version is available, it will bring significant improvements to the Apple TV app. The latest beta continues to add features.

A second public beta of macOS Mojave 10.14.5 also just debuted. This is a bug-fix release.

How to quit the iOS 12 beta program

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Now that iOS 12.1 has officially added bagel emoji, it’s time to exit the beta program.
Now that iOS 12.1 has officially added bagel emoji, it’s time to exit the beta program.
Photo: Charlie Sorrel/Cult of Mac

Not everyone who signs up for the iOS beta program is a developer. There are journalists testing new features, and regular folks who just want to try the latest additions (despite the bugs). But what happens when the final version ships? You’re left running the beta, while everyone else is on the regular version.

Today we’ll see how to exit the iOS beta program and switch back to regular updates.

Everyone can already get today’s iOS 12.1 developer beta

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iOS 12 features
The major change in iOS 12.1 is a feature that should have been in iOS 12: Group FaceTime.
Photo: Apple

Apple seeded the third beta of iOS 12.1 to developers this afternoon. In what’s possibly a new speed record, that version is already available to the general public. 

The major change coming in the final version is support for Group FaceTime, but there’re other enhancements too. 

Apple drops second round of iOS 12 betas this week

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iOS 12 features
We don't know why Apple quickly introduced new iOS 12 beta versions, but they're ready for download.
Photo: Apple

Apple is really moving on iOS 12. It has introduced new pre-release versions for both developers and the general public just a few days after the last ones.

For developers, this is the tenth beta available. For everyone else, it’s the eighth.