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Apple to restrict CloudKit services to latest iOS 8, OS X Yosemite betas ahead of launch

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In an email sent out on Monday, Apple informed developers that upcoming iCloud-based features like iCloud Drive, Mail Drop and more will require iOS 8 beta 5 or OS X Yosemite Developer Preview 5 or later to operate.

Starting tomorrow, app makers building apps that tap into the CloudKit features and services will have to move over to the latest iOS and OS X betas to continue development. Specifically, the company notes the latest iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite betas are needed to continue CloudKit, iCloud Drive, iCloud Photo Library, Mail Drop, Safari History, and Call History services.

Apple last wiped CloudKit database in July as part of ongoing preparations toward the release of new services like Mail Drop and iCloud Drive.

With iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite, Apple is allowing developers to hook their apps into various CloudKit services for a deeper cross-platform functionality.

The new features will make iCloud a much more powerful, and integral, tool in Apple's software services arsenal. For example, Mail Drop gets around the usual email data cap by embedding links to files stored in the cloud, allowing users to send messages with attachments up to 5GB in size. iCloud Photo Library is a photo sharing and collection app capable of moving image edits and tweaks across devices, while iCloud Drive is a multi-platform document storage and collaboration tool akin to Dropbox.

The shift comes just a few weeks before Apple is expected to announce the next-generation "iPhone 6" lineup at a special event on Sept. 9, which will also bring the release of iOS 8. OS X Yosemite is also slated to debut this fall, though a specific date has yet to be nailed down.