Apple has once again restarted its beta testing program following its latest public operating system releases, with new first-round developer betas of iOS 12.2, tvOS 12.2, watchOS 5.2, and macOS 10.14.4.
Developers taking part in the test program can acquire the new builds via the Apple Developer Center, or as an over-the-air update on enrolled devices. Participants in the public Apple Beta Software Program can typically expect a similar beta update to be issued shortly after the developer versions.
At this early stage, it is unclear exactly what Apple has included in each of the new betas in terms of features and functionality. The latest updates to its software consisted of performance improvements and bug fixes, but the version numbers this time suggest there to be bigger changes in these betas.
The new beta build for iOS 12.2, 16E5181f, replaces the fourth beta of iOS 12.1.3, build 16D5039a, while tvOS 12.2's first build 16L5181f follows on from the third tvOS 12.1.2 beta build, 16K5534a. The first watchOS 5.2 beta is build 16T5181f, up from the third 5.1.3 beta build, 16S5535a. Lastly, macOS 10.14.4's first beta, build number 18E174F, takes over from the fourth beta of macOS 10.14.3, build number 18D39a.
For reference, the current public release of iOS 12.1.3 is build 16D39 and 16D40 depending on the device, watchOS 5.1.3 is build 16S535, tvOS 12.1.2 is build 16K534, and macOS Mojave 10.14.3 is build 18D42. Note that the build numbers for the public releases and the betas are different, and do not necessarily follow the same numerical pattern.
Apple has included new betas for Configurator 2.9, build number 3J9, and macOS Server 5.8, build 18S2027. The new macOS Server beta is quite notable, as it has been the first beta of the software for a considerable amount of time, and may indicate changes to the platform are on the way.
AppleInsider, and Apple itself, strongly recommend users don't install the betas on to "mission-critical" or primary devices, as there is the remote possibility of data loss or other issues. Instead, testers should install betas onto secondary or non-essential devices, and to make sure there are sufficient backups of important data before updating.
Find any changes in the new betas? Reach out to us on Twitter at @AppleInsider or @Andrew_OSU, or send Andrew an email at andrew@AppleInsider.com.