Beta 4 of iOS 12.3 & MacOS 10.14.5 Released for Testing
Apple has released iOS 12.3 beta 4 along with MacOS 10.14.5 beta 4 for users enrolled in the various system software beta testing programs.
Separately, Apple has also released new beta builds for watchOS 5.2.1 beta 4 and tvOS 12.3 beta 4.
No major new features are expected in iOS 12.3, macOS Mojave 10.14.5, tvOS 12.3, or watchOS 5.2.1, making them more likely to be maintenance updates with various fixes and refinements, though there are a few new or changed aspects that are currently being worked on in the beta builds.
Thus far the iOS 12.3 beta appears to primarily focus on a newly redesigned TV app, as does the tvOS 12.3 beta release, though presumably bugs and security issues are addressed in the beta release as well. The new TV app appears to be focused primarily on content suggestions and a subscription service for accessing video content. The accompanying tvOS betas also include these features.
MacOS 10.14.5 beta likely continues a focus on bug fixes and security enhancements as well. MacOS 10.14.5 beta also includes a new security layer aimed at developers that requires notarization for Mac apps distributed outside of the Mac App Store, apps without the Apple notarization will display a familiar “unidentified developer” Gatekeeper warning that can be bypassed by Mac users if needed. Apple has suggested that a future version of MacOS may require that all software is notarized. Anyone interested can read more about the Mac app notarization process at developer.apple.com.
Apple usually goes through several beta builds before issuing a final version of system software to the general public. While there is no precisely known public timeline for iOS 12.3 and MacOS Mojave 10.14.5, it’s likely that the software will be released to the general public sometime next month.
The latest final stable builds of Apple system software are currently versioned as iOS 12.2 for iPhone and iPad and macOS Mojave 10.14.4 for Macs, while tvOS 12.2 is available for Apple TV, and watchOS 5.2 available for Apple Watch users.
