Apple Releases First Public Beta of iOS 12

Jun 25, 2018 3:10 pm PDT by Juli Clover

Apple this afternoon released the first public beta of iOS 12 to its public beta testing group, giving non-developers a chance to test the software ahead of its upcoming fall release. The first public beta of iOS 12 should correspond to the second developer beta, which was released last week.

Beta testers who have signed up for Apple's beta testing program will receive the iOS 12 beta update over-the-air after installing the proper certificate on an iOS device.


Those who want to join the beta testing program can sign up on Apple's beta testing website, which gives users access to iOS, macOS, and tvOS betas. Before installing a beta, make sure to create a full encrypted iTunes backup or an iCloud backup and be sure to install iOS 12 on a secondary device because beta software is not always stable and can include bugs.

iOS 12 is a significant update to the iOS operating system, introducing Group FaceTime, local multiplayer shared AR experiences, new Animoji, and a Memoji feature that's designed to let you create a personalized Animoji that looks just like you.


Animoji, stickers, text, and more can be used in FaceTime and the Messages app, and there's a new Screen Time feature to help customers understand and manage the amount of time they're spending on their iOS devices. New Do Not Disturb features make it easier to manage notifications, as do interactive notification options and notification grouping.

Siri has been improved in iOS 12 with Siri Shortcuts, which is designed to allow Siri to work with any app, and Siri is also smarter and able to provide info on motorsports, food, and celebrities.

Under-the-hood improvements to iOS 12 will make everyday tasks on the iPhone and iPad faster and more responsive, with the camera launching up to 70 percent faster and the keyboard showing up to 50 percent faster.

iOS 12 will be available to developers and public beta testers as a beta for several months to allow Apple to work out kinks and bugs. The update will see a launch this fall.

[ 223 comments ]

Top Rated Comments

(View all)

bchery21
45 months ago
Have fun everyone, but I'll fall back and wait.
Score: 18 Votes
seatton
45 months ago
Downloading it and ready to f*** up my iPad Pro, but I could care less. I will try not to install it on my iPhone X yet.
Rating: 13 Votes
jclo
45 months ago
Think ima wait one more rev on this and Mojave (which was also released to the public today).
Just to clarify, macOS Mojave wasn't released today. It's listed as "Coming Soon," which we didn't initially notice. So we did have a macOS Mojave story, but I removed it because it's not actually out. Sorry for that mixup! iOS 12 and tvOS 12 are available today, though.
Rating: 10 Votes
jclo
45 months ago
Why did MacRumors remove the story about the Mojave Public Beta? If you jumped the gun, you should note that; not pretend it didn't happen. https://www.macrumors.com/2018/06/25/apple-releases-first-macos-mojave-public-beta/
We didn't see that it was listed as "Coming Soon" when the beta site went up. It is not available today. I removed the post and the tweet, sorry about that. I didn't want to leave the post up to confuse people.
Rating: 8 Votes
frumpy16
45 months ago
For what it’s worth... (not much)


I now download Public BETAs as a matter of course. I don't see many issue with it. I've never had a bricked iPhone. On occasion I may have an app that doesn't work right and then I remember its likely due to the BETA. Battery is sometimes an issue, but I just carry a spare USB block if I know I’m going to be out all day. Sometimes the OS can be a tad clunky and jumpy but all in all, if you’re on these forums then I’d say you’re geeky enough to:


1) be able to download the BETA in the first place:

2) be interested enough to get a peek at new features:

3) in a worst case can jump back to iOS 11.


Not sure why I posted. But hey BETAs are there to play with new features, so download and play. Just don’t complain if they don’t work – that’s the point!
Your last statement is wrong. You are supposed to complain if the beta doesn't work but you're supposed to do it properly by reporting the bug. The point of the beta is to get a lot of people using it under different use cases and see what might break. Report your bugs!
Rating: 7 Votes
munpip214
45 months ago
with GPS, Reminders, and Carplay issues I will hold off until at least PB2
Rating: 6 Votes

[ Read All Comments ]

Navigation