Apple is separating the new smartphones into its usual low-cost versus high-cost categories, with big differences between the two models coming down to the camera, display, and battery life.
iOS 13 & watchOS 6 Now Available
Apple Releases Third Public Beta of iOS 12
Apple today seeded the third public beta of iOS 12 to public beta testers, giving non-developers a chance to test the software ahead of its upcoming fall release. The third iOS 12 public beta, which comes two weeks after the second public beta, corresponds to the fourth developer beta released yesterday.
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.
The new iOS 12 beta in particular introduces new issues with Screen Time, the App Store, and Siri Shortcuts, according to Apple's release notes for the developer beta. Apps in the App Store might fail to download properly the first time, Screen Time data might not sync between devices, and Siri Shortcuts might not work properly on CarPlay and HomePod, as well as if a device is locked. The cellular status bar on the iPhone X can also be inaccurate.
iOS 12 brings 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.
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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. There are options to limit app time and Screen Time also includes comprehensive parental control tools.
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 for creating time-saving automations, and Siri is also smarter and able to provide info on motorsports, food, and celebrities. Later in the year, Apple will launch a Shortcuts app so you can create your own shortcuts.
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 also includes a rebuilt Maps app with a new Apple-designed Maps engine that's available in the San Francisco Bay Area at the current time. While limited to the San Francisco area at this time, the features will roll out to Northern California in the fall before expanding to additional locations across the United States in late 2018 and 2019.
The revamped Maps app displays foliage, pools, buildings, pedestrian pathways, and other map elements more accurately, and it brings improvements to traffic, real-time road conditions, construction, and more.
iOS 12 will be available to developers and public beta testers as a beta for the next two months to allow Apple to work out bugs and other issues ahead of a fall launch alongside new iPhones.
Update: In the third public beta (and fourth developer beta) the new Apple Maps app is now available for all of Northern California.
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.
The new iOS 12 beta in particular introduces new issues with Screen Time, the App Store, and Siri Shortcuts, according to Apple's release notes for the developer beta. Apps in the App Store might fail to download properly the first time, Screen Time data might not sync between devices, and Siri Shortcuts might not work properly on CarPlay and HomePod, as well as if a device is locked. The cellular status bar on the iPhone X can also be inaccurate.
iOS 12 brings 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. There are options to limit app time and Screen Time also includes comprehensive parental control tools.
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 for creating time-saving automations, and Siri is also smarter and able to provide info on motorsports, food, and celebrities. Later in the year, Apple will launch a Shortcuts app so you can create your own shortcuts.
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 also includes a rebuilt Maps app with a new Apple-designed Maps engine that's available in the San Francisco Bay Area at the current time. While limited to the San Francisco area at this time, the features will roll out to Northern California in the fall before expanding to additional locations across the United States in late 2018 and 2019.
The revamped Maps app displays foliage, pools, buildings, pedestrian pathways, and other map elements more accurately, and it brings improvements to traffic, real-time road conditions, construction, and more.
iOS 12 will be available to developers and public beta testers as a beta for the next two months to allow Apple to work out bugs and other issues ahead of a fall launch alongside new iPhones.
Update: In the third public beta (and fourth developer beta) the new Apple Maps app is now available for all of Northern California.
Related Roundup: iOS 12
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15 months ago
This beta introduces bugs in screen time? LOL. I haven't had screen time work since I installed the beta.
My iPhone will sometimes show usage, but then will frequently not update for days, and then the summary screen just gets all jumbled like a bad CSS table. It has never given stats on my iPad. I have never seen stats for one device on the other, and I can't see stats for my kids phone (including downtime, restrictions, etc) unless I am on her phone. Plus, on her phone, the stats page never shows any stats either.
So I can't see Screen Time being any less useful for me in this update. :)
My iPhone will sometimes show usage, but then will frequently not update for days, and then the summary screen just gets all jumbled like a bad CSS table. It has never given stats on my iPad. I have never seen stats for one device on the other, and I can't see stats for my kids phone (including downtime, restrictions, etc) unless I am on her phone. Plus, on her phone, the stats page never shows any stats either.
So I can't see Screen Time being any less useful for me in this update. :)
15 months ago
Nice! Downloading it now. I decided to install the beta on my iPhone X the other day after hearing how stable it was, and it's been running great! I've barely noticed any bugs but I've certainly been enjoying all the enhancements to iOS :)
15 months ago
Has Waze updated its app to allow it to work on carplay yet? I am tempted to switch over to iOS 12 beta, but this is really the only feature I'm looking forward to.
As I understand it, App Developers won't be allowed to submit applications compiled for iOS 12 until closer to the time of public launch. I'd imagine Waze has a build working by this point, but unless they manage to do their own public beta, this won't be on the App Store til the fall.
15 months ago
Because they didn’t change anything from iOS 11.
And you' have just demonstrated you have not used iOS 12. Congratulations!
15 months ago
You're in the public beta thread :p
I know!That’s why I’m asking... !!!!
Has the ‘Shortcuts’ feature been released in the BETA ???
15 months ago
If you open up Maps, there's a pretty hilarious hard line across the center of California where the new Maps end and the old Maps still exist.
15 months ago
Force rebooting during a system update? Isn't that like the ONLY thing you should never do? :O
The iOS software update mechanism is very robust and redundant. It can survive a power failure and forced reboots and picks up at the last successful segment of the update.
Mine is moving again and doing so quickly, starting at the last point before it got stuck.
15 months ago
What is that ugly black notch-thing getting in the way of the top of that iPhone?
15 months ago
Has anyone had troubles with the lock screen not showing any time? Or autofill bugs? I also can’t post reply or click on buttons on the screen when they keyboard is up. Hopefully this beta fixes all this! I know its a beta bit still wondering! Hopefully this fixes it.
My wife's iPhone X on 11.4 has the occasional 'clock not showing on lock screen' issue, as has mine on the beta. So it isn't a bug specific to iOS 12. Rebooting seems to fix in on both versions.
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Stable as a daily driver?
I've been using it on my main iPhone since the first public beta release, and haven't had anything I would consider a deal breaker. There was a problem with 'Do Not Disturb at Bedtime' causing the phone to crash, but if I used just regular DND, that issue wasn't present. Plus, it seemed to be fixed in the second release.
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