Apple to seed iOS 8.2 next week, iOS 8.3 to follow shortly after

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BY Unknown 22:32 0

Apple to seed iOS 8.2 next week, iOS 8.3 to follow shortly after

Apple might release the final version of iOS 8.2 to the general public as early as this Monday, as per a report by BGR. The last release was iOS 8.2 beta 5 at the start of February.

iOS 8.3 is already in the works and is expected to have 4 beta releases. Currently, iOS 8.3 beta 2 is available to developers, leaving two more iterations until the final build is ready. This should happen in early April coinciding with the purported start of Apple Watch sales.

Not that the Apple Watch can't launch without it, iOS 8.2 already supports it. The next version of the OS will introduce redesigned emoji picker as well as new emoji icons. Naturally, there's more the iOS 8.3 and we'll share with you as soon as anything new comes out.

Apple is holding its "Spring forward" event on March 9 and the Apple Watch is the most likely guest of honor. The event should answer any remaining questions on pricing and availability.

Apple is now seeding iOS 8.3 beta 2 to developers

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BY Unknown 00:15 0

Apple is now seeding iOS 8.3 beta 2 to developers

Today Apple has made the iOS 8.3 beta 2 available for developers. So they can now test it, tinker with it, and report the bugs they find back to the Apple mothership.

The newest version of iOS brings with it a more diverse collection of emojis and flags. As a release note, Apple mentions that "the dialog that appears when connecting an iPhone to a CarPlay-compatible car is not functional". Also, Verizon's Voice-over-LTE service isn't supported in iOS 8.3 beta 2.

The first beta of iOS 8.3 went out earlier this month, and it had more new features compared to the second one - wireless CarPlay support, improved Google login, an updated voice for Siri, Apple Pay support in China, and a new emoji picker. This followed the release of iOS 8.2 beta 5 at the beginning of February.

The final build of iOS 8.2 is due to be rolled out next month to all compatible devices, with no additional betas to be outed in the meantime. On the other hand, iOS 8.3 may get a public beta period starting in mid-March. The public beta might come at the same time as the third developer beta.

A second beta of Mac OS X 10.10.3 is also out today, complete with a new Photos app, and there's a new beta OS available for the Apple TV too.

Apple to out public betas for iOS 8.3 and iOS 9

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BY Unknown 00:53 0

Apple to out public betas for iOS 8.3 and iOS 9

Apple is apparently planning on releasing public beta versions for both iOS 8.3 and iOS 9 this year, according to a rumor on the matter. This information reportedly comes from "multiple people briefed on the plans", which means it should be reasonably accurate.

If true, this would be a big shift in Apple's way of developing its mobile software. Up until now, only registered developers have had access to the company's beta releases for iOS. And as being an iOS developer entails a $99 yearly fee, the public at large mostly hasn't ever seen any beta builds of iOS. There have been instances of people selling beta downloads from developer accounts, but their success has likely been limited.

This change probably comes as a reaction to the pretty bad rap iOS 8 got in terms of stability and bugs. It's safe to say this wasn't Apple's smoothest release ever, and the company seems to think that getting more people involved in beta testing future versions should make those less prone to having various issues - which makes sense of course.

Allegedly only 100,000 people will be allowed into the upcoming beta testing program, in order for this to maintain a level of exclusivity. So get ready for this to become yet another thing people brag about (if they get in). Apple's used the limited number of testers scheme before, when it released a public beta of Mac OS X for the first time last year, though in that case 1 million people were able to join.

The Mac betas will continue later this year. On the iOS side, we should see the 8.3 public beta be out sometime in mid-March. This will match the third beta for developers, which will be available the same week.

Further down the road, iOS 9 will be officially introduced at Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference in June. This will get a public beta release later in the summer, with the final launch scheduled for the fall. We've heard before that iOS 9 will be focused primarily on bug fixes and stability improvements.

iOS 8.3, on the other hand, will bring support for Wireless CarPlay, as well as a new Emoji keyboard, an enhanced voice for Siri, and simpler login procedures for Google services. The people who will become beta testers for these releases will be able to use a special app to report bugs to Apple.