Apple today seeded the first betas of upcoming iOS 17.1 and iPadOS 17.1 updates to public beta testers, allowing non-developers to try out the software ahead of its release. The public iOS 17.1 and iPadOS 17.1 betas come a day after Apple released the betas for developers.
Public beta testers can get the beta by opening up the Settings app, going to the Software Update section, tapping on the "Beta Updates" option, and toggling on the iOS 17 or iPadOS 17 Public Beta. Signing up on Apple's beta testing website is required.
In the iOS 17.1 beta, Apple added an option to favorite songs, albums, playlists, artists, and more, from within Apple Music and through the Now Playing widget.
AirDrop transfers can now be finished over the internet after being initiated, and when you activate the flashlight, there's an indicator in the Dynamic Island even if you don't have an iPhone 15 Pro or Pro Max. For more on what's new in the update, we have an iOS 17.1 beta 1 tidbits article.
Apple has also released a new beta of tvOS 17.1 with the same Apple Music changes, plus there is a public beta of watchOS 10.1 available for public beta testers. watchOS 10.1 enables NameDrop on Apple Watch for sharing contact information with other Apple Watch and iPhone users over AirDrop.
Wednesday November 11, 2026 7:51 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple has announced that the long-running Apple Support Community discussion forums for user-to-user tech support will be permanently closing on Friday, November 20. The forums have existed in some form for nearly 30 years, so it is the end of an era.
Effectively immediately, the Apple Support Community forums are in a read-only state, with new posts no longer being accepted. The final...
Monday November 9, 2026 4:22 am PST by Tim Hardwick
The Apple launches keep coming! The company is set to release two new products on Friday, November 13: the all-new Apple HomeView and the fourth-generation Apple TV 4K, both of which have been available to pre-order since mid-October.
Apple HomeView: Apple's new smart home display, powered by Apple Intelligence with Siri AI, for entertainment and managing the home. Available in tabletop and...
Sunday November 8, 2026 7:42 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple has made a change to its development process for iOS 28, macOS 28, and corresponding software updates, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
In his Power On newsletter today, he said Apple separates development of each year's new operating systems into three major stages. Typically, he said each stage consists of four weeks of coding followed by a four-week "convergence" period where...
It seems to me Apple is repackaging its old stuff and calling it "New" iTunes had "Love" for years, now Apple Music will have "Favorites" Widgets came out 18 years ago with Tiger Ports on the Macbook Pro are back MagSafe is back Titanium is back What's next, Airport Router? Wait, this one has an SSD in it for backup!!!!
![iCloud Mail, Calendar, Contacts and More Experiencing Outage [Updated]](https://images.macrumors.com/t/SbkSBpphyjvBjtgfgNZg-KvvJD0=/112x112/article-new/2026/07/General-iCloud-App-Feature.jpg)
