Apple is now on the third generation of betas for its milestone operating systems, providing developers with new builds of iOS 15, iPadOS 15, watchOS 8, and tvOS 15.
The betas are downloadable via the Apple Developer Center, with updates usually provided as over-the-air updates on enrolled devices. While a public beta release is normally offered via the Apple Beta Software Program website, end users will have to wait until July before Apple releases the first public version.
The second round of betas landed on June 24, while the first became available on June 7, shortly after the WWDC 2021 keynote.
introduces enhancements to Messages and FaceTime, new Focus modes, on-device Live Text OCR, a digital ID in Wallet, updated Weather and Maps apps, and other changes.
On iPadOS 15, Apple updated the multitasking functionality, as well as adding home screen widget support, system-wide Quick Note, the Translate app, and major changes to Swift Playgrounds to enable app development on iPad as well as App Store submissions.
On watchOS 8, the Fitness app gains Tai Chi and Pilates workouts, the Sleep app tracks respiratory rates, Photos adds a mosaic layout and memories, and Messages introduces cursor control with the Digital Crown and GIF search.
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.
Update: Apple released a second round of betas for public testers on Friday.
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