Mike Wuerthele
Only 72 hours after the the sixth beta release of macOS 10.12.4 and iOS 10.3, Apple has made available the seventh iteration of the test software to developers, with little increment in release numbers suggesting an imminent release for users. [Updated with public beta info]
MacOS 10.12.4 contains Night Shift. The feature, first found in iOS 9.3 alters monitor parameters to reduce exposure to blue light to minimize user exposure to that part of the spectrum which potentially interferes with sleep cycles.
Dictation support for more languages has also been added, with improved PDFKit APIs eliminating some Sierra bugs. Beta 6 of macOS 10.12.4 had build number 16E189a, with build 7 sporting 16E191a — a very small increment as compared to previous weekly betas.
iOS 10.3 beta 7
The iOS 10.3 beta includes the Find My AirPods feature, file system migration to APFS, and a new reviews API which limits how often an app can ask users to submit ratings on the App Store.
Verizon customers also have iCloud-connected device calling added. Users running iOS 10.3 report that the 32-bit warning dialog box has changed, alerting users that an upcoming version of iOS will drop support for 32-bit apps entirely. Apple has not made clear what version that is, but iOS 11 is the likeliest candidate for the excision of the compatibility.
The sixth iOS 10.2 beta had build number 14E5273a, with Thursday's release having 14E5277a — also a smaller than normal increment. The relative "tightness" of the build numbers on both the macOS 10.12.4 and iOS 10.3 betas suggest a full release is imminent.
The first beta appeared in late January. Few releases take more than than the previously released six betas, much less a seventh release. In 2013, OS X 10.8.3 reached 10 developer betas before a full release.
Both releases are available to developers with registered devices. The iOS beta is available through the Software Update feature in Settings, and macOS users can update through the Mac App Store.
Update: Public betas are now available for members of Apple's Beta Software Program.
Malcolm Owen
William Gallagher
8 Comments
Can't wait for it to get here soon enough!
Beta 6 caused me some serious battery life issues even though I didn't make any settings or app changes between that and beta 5. I suppose an app update could have caused it but this was a dramatic change. The speed in which this update was released makes me wonder if there were some serious bugs in the beta 6. I just updated and hoping that it's better. I also think the 10.3 is going to be generally released with the new iPad Pro's this month.
I would like to know if those beta did solve bluetooth issues for anyone experiencing them or not? (I am thinking about the bluetooth server crashing, as stated in the iPhone logs, and the experience of annoying bluetooth connection issues, on top of all with cars). I have seen some users stating these solved most of their issues, just wondering (and hoping...).
All of the bluetooth issues that I had where I would lose the connection with my Apple Watch are gone and all of the connections with my bluetooth devices (glucose meters, headphones, Beats Pill+, BiPAP device) connect through their apps without issues which hasn't always been the case. There were times when I would have to remove the device and re-pair to make a connection. Haven't had a problem since about Beta 3.