Apple seeds fourth iOS 15, iPadOS 15, tvOS 15, watchOS 8 betas

Apple has shifted to the fourth generation of betas for its milestone operating systems, with new versions of iOS 15, iPadOS 15, tvOS 15, and watchOS 8 available for testing by developers.

The latest betas and configuration profiles can be downloaded from the Apple Developer Center, with subsequent changes available as over-the-air updates on enrolled devices. Public betas are usually made available a short time later, accessible via the Apple Beta Software Program.

The fourth round follows the third, which landed on July 14. The second appeared on June 24, while the first surfaced on June 7.

iOS 15 adds 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.

In the third beta, Apple polished Safari's appearance, refined Focus mode's workings, redesigned the Music widget to better match album colors, new Maps spoken direction options, and added more Background Sounds options in Shortcuts, among other tweaks.

Apple updated the multitasking functionality in iPadOS 15, 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.

For 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.

The new beta for HomePod's operating system version 15 has also been released. Only those with access to the AppleSeed developer program can download it.

AppleInsider, and Apple itself, strongly advise users don't install the betas on primary devices, as there is the small possibility of issues like data loss. Testers should install betas onto secondary or non-essential devices, and to ensure 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.