You Can Download iOS 12 Public Beta 1 Now
Apple has released the first public beta version of iOS 12 to users interested in beta testing the upcoming system software version for the iPhone and iPad.
iOS 12 beta includes a variety of new features, including group FaceTime, Screen Time which allows you to see how and control much time an iOS device gets used, improved Notifications handling, speedier performance, along with many other smaller features, changes, and improvements.
Anyone can enroll any iOS 12 compatible iPhone or iPad in the public beta testing program and choose to download and instal the software, but it’s not without caveats.
Beta system software is most appropriate for more advanced iOS users who are interested in testing and exploring future operating system versions. Generally speaking, beta system software is less stable than what most users are accustomed to, and there could be issues with app compatibility, stability, and performance, amongst other potential hiccups. Always backup your devices before installing any beta software.
If you’re interested in running the iOS 12 public beta on your iPhone or iPad, you can do so by enrolling in the public beta testing program through Apple:
After you enroll the eligible device in the public beta testing program and download the iOS 12 public beta profile, the Software Update section of Settings will change to include the iOS 12 public beta download.
Be sure to backup any iOS device before installing any software updates, but particularly with beta system software. Aside from potentially preventing permanent data loss, a data backup made from iOS 11 can allow you to downgrade from iOS 12 beta to iOS 11 if you decide you do not want to run the beta system software any longer.
The iOS 12 public beta 1 download appears to be the same version of software as iOS 12 developer beta 2, both carrying the build number 16A5308e, so if you’re already running iOS 12 developer beta then there is no obvious reason to download the public beta.
The final version of iOS 12 is scheduled for release this fall.
Separately, Apple has also released MacOS Mojave public beta to download for Mac users interested in beta testing system software.
Installed it on iPhone X and iPad 10.5 and used it for about 2 weeks, it works fine, there is no a lot of bugs, except a few I found to be a problem: can’t select Add Plan (cellular) – it shows just a grey window, O365 apps have a general issue with a company security feature and won’t even start properly – I couldn’t find a work around, although it worked at first and then upon login it stopped. Skype didn’t work in beta 1, but now it works. Some apps have issues, such as Signal won’t open the pictures in full size and perhaps other apps too. So, if you are a light user, probably it is great because iOS 12 does run faster and battery life is the same, the iPad interface is like on iPhone X, which is excellent and closing the apps is much easier, amongst other great features I really liked. The iPad version seems buggier, when on the iPhone X it is better, in my case. I won’t recommend it if you are a heavy user and rely on many apps as you never know which one won’t work properly and then you need to wait or downgrade, which is frustrating in any case! Overall, Apple did a great job with this beta as it is quite stable and works well indeed.
So I installed iOS 12 public beta onto my iPad. It seems stable, about the same quickness as iOS 11, so that’s great.
But what is new? There is nothing new and I have looked around, am I missing something? The clock is in a new position. This is basically iOS 11.5, which is just fine by me, but I have not found any new features yet.
I am not sure, what are the features and differences? I have read about them here and on Apple.com but when you get your hands on it, it’s really not much. I Facetime a few times a year but no time have I ever wanted 30 people on my FaceTime at once!
Just an observation, but so far so good in terms of performance that is.