Apple to Release iOS 15 iCloud Private Relay as a Public Beta

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When iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 launch this fall, iCloud Private Relay will be included, but Apple plans to provide the features as a public beta rather than a finalized addition.

icloud private relay beta
According to Apple's release notes for the seventh beta of iOS 15, ‌iCloud‌ Private Relay is being released as a public beta to allow Apple to "gather additional feedback and improve website compatibility" before the official launch of the feature.

So when iOS 15 and the other updates are released, ‌iCloud‌ Private Relay will be available for customers to use, but it will officially be usable in a beta capacity.

In the latest iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 betas, ‌iCloud‌ Private Relay is now listed as a feature that's in beta, with Apple providing the following information: "Private Relay is currently in beta. Some websites may have issues, like showing content for the wrong region or requiring extra steps to sign in."

‌iCloud‌ Private Relay is a service that's designed to ensure Safari traffic leaving an iPhone, iPad, or Mac is encrypted through two separate internet relays so that companies can't use personal information like IP address, location, and browsing activity to build detailed profiles about Apple device users.

Apple's release notes for the new updates made available today also confirm that several issues have been addressed.

  • The Bay Bridge now scales correctly at high zoom levels in the Maps app.
  • Siri can be used to switch to a Focus other than Do Not Disturb.
  • Safari Extensions now correctly appear in the Smart Search field when Show Separate Tab Bar is selected.
  • The clear button in the search bar in Safari is no longer clipped.
  • VPN apps now connect if they use a private API that no longer exists in iOS 15.
  • Collapsing the hardware keyboard shortcut bar now properly invokes leading and trailing edge changes for UIKeyboardLayoutGuide.

With seven betas now released, we are getting close to the end of the testing period for iOS 15. We can expect the new software to launch ahead of refreshed iPhones, likely in September.

Related Forum: iOS 15

Top Rated Comments

Blkant Avatar
Blkant
23 months ago
Private, until Apple decides to compare domains you visit to a list of hashes that may or may not include sites hosting information similar to the Panama Papers or other journalistic information their buddies at the CIA blacklist. At which point, genuine journalists best expect to be at the mercy of the patriot act for “reasons”.

But of course, rebranded as “think of the children!”.

You cannot have privacy without trust Apple. Such potential pissed away…
Score: 73 Votes (Like | Disagree)
antiprotest Avatar
antiprotest
23 months ago

I assume this is the future of these forums? Every time Apple announces a privacy feature, people will complain they don’t trust Apple.
Trust is everything and this is evidence of it. Apple did this to themselves.
Score: 33 Votes (Like | Disagree)
smithrh Avatar
smithrh
23 months ago
Check my profile, I've been around more than most here; I've been using Apple products for a very very very long time. Check my post history if you'd like to see if I'm a troll; hint, I'm not.

Having said that preamble, all of my trust with Apple is gone at this point, perhaps irretrievably so.
Score: 30 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bivalvegruff Avatar
bivalvegruff
23 months ago

I assume this is the future of these forums? Every time Apple announces a privacy feature, people will complain they don’t trust Apple.
Well, yes. Trust takes time to build up, but you only need to break it once to shatter it completely.
Score: 29 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheDailyApple Avatar
TheDailyApple
23 months ago
I think I’ll stick to my VPN which safeguards all device traffic, not just web browsing.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mimiron Avatar
Mimiron
23 months ago
I’ve been testing this feature since iOS 15 Beta 1, but it’s still unreliable. Oftentimes, the relay / VPN is slow and websites won‘t even load, so I have to disable it all the time.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
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