Malcolm Owen
Apple is now on its fourth round of betas for the current cycle of operating system tests, with new developer betas of iOS 13.3, iPadOS 13.3, tvOS 13.3, and watchOS 6.1.1 now available to download.
The newest builds can be downloaded via the Apple Developer Center for those enrolled into the test program, or via an over-the-air update on devices running the beta software. Public betas typically arrive within a few days of the developer versions, via the Apple Beta Software Program website.
The third round of betas were released on November 20, with the second out on November 12, and the first on November 5.
The beta for iOS 13.3 fixed multitasking issues in iOS 13.2, one which killed background app processes and left users losing work or progress in the apps. Another update from the first beta saw the Apple Watch app icon changed to show a grey center in the Digital Crown instead of black.
Other updates in subsequent betas included the ability to disable Memoji on the keyboard, and a category for communications in Screen Time. Support for NFC, USB, and Lightning security keys in Safari via the WebAuthn standard is also available, albeit compatibility isn't extended to all wireless versions at this time.
Both 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.
Wesley Hilliard
AppleInsider Staff
Andrew Orr
Amber Neely
William Gallagher
9 Comments
Ok, the public beta is out. Seems that lately they’ve been releasing the developer and public betas on the same day.
and yet ALL I want is a TV OS update that lets me select only underwater screensavers instead of Aerial
I'm not really the type to whine about bugs, but has this year's set of updates been particularly hazardous? It seems nearly all common features are exhibiting tedious quirks.