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iOS 17 beta 7: All the new features and changes

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iOS 17 preview
The fourth iOS 17 developer beta is here with some minor changes.
Photo: Apple

Apple continues beta testing iOS 17, with the seventh beta dropping on August 22nd. As the beta program has progressed, the company has made fewer and fewer user-facing changes to new builds.

It’s the same story with iOS 17 beta 7, which hardly packs any meaningful changes or improvements. Below is everything new in the latest iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 beta.

Latest iOS 17 beta moves End Call button back to the center

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Before and after screenshots show the location of the End Call button in the two most recent iOS 17 betas.
The End Call button jumps back to a more familiar position in iOS 17.
Image: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Apparently responding to online criticism, Apple returned the End Call button to a central location in iOS 17. Previously, Apple moved the button to the right side of the Phone application.

That change proved controversial, and Apple reversed it in the sixth iOS 17 beta recently seeded to developers.

iOS 16.1 beta begins testing new iPhone features

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iOS 16.1 beta begins testing new iPhone features
iOS 16.1 beta 1 is out for developers to test.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Apple seeded the first beta of iOS 16.1 to developers on Wednesday. This signals the start of testing for some iPhone features Apple already announced but didn’t debut in iOS 16.

This includes Clean Energy Charging. And there’s good news for some iPhones that couldn’t display battery percentage in the Status Bar.

iOS 16 beta 6: All the new features and changes

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iOS 16 beta 4: All the new features and changes
iOS 16 beta 6 is a little light on changes.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

With iOS 16 likely just a month away from release, Apple is picking up the tempo of beta releases of the operating system. Apple seeded iOS 16 beta 6 Monday, a mere seven days after the fifth beta. Along with that increase in release speed, the latest beta packs only minor changes.

As iOS 16 nears its stable launch, we are going to see Apple focus more on squashing bugs and improving the overall stability instead of adding new features or tweaking things around.

iOS 16 betas hint at new Siri Remote for Apple TV

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The current Siri Remote was an improvement on its predecessor.
The current Siri Remote was an improvement on its predecessor.
Photo: Apple

Watchful eyes have spotted code in the first two iOS 16 beta versions that appears to refer to an unreleased Siri Remote for Apple TV.

Information is scant, but chances are this is the new remote for a 4K Apple TV system with a updated price structure that could come out this year.

How to install the iOS 16 developer beta

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Get access to the new features and APIs in iOS 16 with the Developer Beta today.
Get access to the new features and APIs in iOS 16 with the Developer Beta today. Featuring my dog, Indy Anna Jones.
Image: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac

iOS 16 was announced with some awesome, radical new features: a completely redesigned Lock Screen, a shared Photo Library for families, editing and un-sending iMessages, advanced new features in Maps and more. It’s especially hard this year to wait until September to get your hands on it.

Developers have a busy summer ahead of them, too. I spoke with some developers while at WWDC (no, I’m not done flexing that yet) and afterwards on Twitter. Developers are especially excited about creating Lock Screen widgets for their apps, using the new advanced features of SwiftUI and experimenting with the Live Text API.

But you don’t have to wait to get your hands on the beta. Registered developers can install the iOS 16 developer beta today. According to Apple, the Public Beta will be coming sometime in July. If you pay $99 for a developer account, installing the beta on your device is fast and easy. Here’s how.

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.

tvOS 15.4 brings improved video player with ‘Up Next’ queue

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tvOS 15.4 with Up Next queue
Apple continues to make tvOS even better.
Image: Sigmund Judge

The first tvOS 15.4 beta brings an improved video player with a built-in “Up Next” queue to Apple TV. The update, released Thursday by Apple, also allows users to connect to captive Wi-Fi networks for the first time.

The changes come after Apple TV got a completely redesigned video player with larger titles and more accessible subtitles in tvOS 15 last fall.