Apple restarts beta cycle with first developer builds of iOS 12.4, tvOS 12.4, watchOS 5.3, macOS 10.14.6

After releasing iOS 12.3 and its other operating system updates to the public on Monday, Apple has restarted the beta testing process once more, this time issuing the first builds of iOS 12.4, tvOS 12.4, watchOS 5.3 and macOS 10.14.6 to developers for testing.

The new builds can be acquired by developers in the beta as an over-the-air update on devices already enrolled into the program, or through the Apple Developer Center. Public beta variants of each operating system normally surface a few days after the developer betas, and can be accessed from the Apple Beta Software Program website.

The first developer beta of iOS 12.4 is build number 16G5027g, replacing the last and sixth iOS 12.3 beta build 16F5156a. The new tvOS 12.4 beta's first build is 16M5526d, taking over from the fifth tvOS 12.3 beta, build 16M5151a. The first watchOS 5.3 build 16U5526fupdates from the fifth watchOS 5.2.1 build, 16U5113a. Lastly, macOS 10.14.6's first build is number 18G29g, up from the fifth build of macOS 10.14.5's beta, build number 18F131a.

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It is currently unclear what exactly users can expect to see in the latest betas, but release notes and testing of the new builds will take place shortly after they are issued.

Of the most recent launches, iOS 12.3 and tvOS 12.3 benefited from the main changes, centering around the new Apple TV Channels experience in the TV app. Users can now subscribe to individual channels from the app and the Apple TV, as well as being able to share the subscription with up to six family members, and benefit from recommendations of shows and movies from more than 150 video apps and streaming services.

AppleInsider, and Apple itself, strongly suggest users avoid installing betas on to "mission-critical" or primary devices, due to the potential for data loss or other issues. It is instead recommended to install betas onto secondary or non-essential devices, and to ensure there are sufficient backups of important data beforehand.

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.

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5 Comments

wood1208 2938 comments · 10 Years

About 5 years ago

Tried to install 12.3 on iPhone SE 16GB(11GB used) and for last couple of days stuck in "Estimating Time Remaining..."

wonkothesane 1738 comments · 12 Years

wood1208 said:

Tried to install 12.3 on iPhone SE 16GB(11GB used) and for last couple of days stuck in "Estimating Time Remaining..." Wonder if there is any sure way to get out of loop ?

I once had such a situation with a public bet Tester Profile installed. Removing the profile and restarting the phone got me out of the loop. Then I installed the final version without hassle. After that, I reinstalled the profile for subsequent betas.

usersinceos1 145 comments · 9 Years

I had a similar problem installing the released 12.3 over the last public beta on my SE. I did a hard reboot and the installation went well.

Andy.Hardwake 38 comments · 6 Years

wood1208 said:

Tried to install 12.3 on iPhone SE 16GB(11GB used) and for last couple of days stuck in "Estimating Time Remaining..."

This happens quite often when you don't have enough space for the OS to unarchive and install. Restart the device and try again, or better still, install the update from iTunes, this way the system will be unarchived on your computer instead of your iPhone.

usersinceos1 said:

I had a similar problem installing the released 12.3 over the last public beta on my SE. I did a hard reboot and the installation went well.

Thanks. Only thing worked, works well is download and install using iTune on your computer. May be related to storage available to download IOS.

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