Apple releases second public betas of iOS 9, OS X 10.11 El Capitan

Both iOS 9 and OS X El Capitan are now available to download for members of the Apple Beta Software Program. The upcoming operating system updates are not final, and users should expect assorted bugs and issues if they install.

Signing up for Apple's public beta program is free, and can be done from the company's website.

The new public betas come just one day after Apple supplied the fourth developer betas for iOS 9 and OS X El Capitan. It's likely that Wednesday's public releases are identical.

The latest developer beta of iOS 9 reinstated Home Sharing after it had been removed from previous versions. It also features a few minor user interface adjustments, including a new way of displaying Handoff panes in the app switcher.

Also this week, Apple prevented beta testers from reviewing App Store software. Negative reviews of apps not yet updated for future versions of iOS had become an issue for developers.

Both iOS 9 and OS X 10.11 El Capitan are scheduled to become available to the general public this fall. If Apple follows its typical annual release cycle, iOS 9 will arrive in September, while El Capitan will become available on the Mac App Store in October.

The first public betas of iOS 9 and El Capitan were made available earlier this month. Apple has not done a public beta of its forthcoming watchOS 2 update for the Apple Watch.