With the iPhone 15 announcement just around the corner, Apple has been ramping up testing of its systems, with new developer releases almost every week. Now, the company has released beta 7 (the seventh test release) of iOS 17, iPadOS 7, watchOS 10 and tvOS 17, as well as macOS beta 6.
The updates are expected to be available to everyone in the last quarter of the year for the latest versions of its devices, such as the iPhone XR, iPhone XS or newer.
What's new in iOS 17
While it's not yet possible to say for sure what changes Apple will keep for the final version of the operating system for its iPhones, we can get some ideas of what's to come from the list of what's being tested.
- NameDrop: with beta 2, Apple has enabled NameDrop, a feature that lets you share contacts by simply bringing two iPhones close together.
- Mental Wellbeing: iOS 17 beta 5 made adjustments to the Mental Wellbeing tab, but it's unclear what changes were made.
- End call button: iOS 17 beta 6 returned the end call button to the center. In addition, there is a shortcut to access photos during an iMessage chat.
With the iOS 17 beta 3 test version, Apple added the ability to rearrange icons in the new iMessage menu and manage iPhone storage usage by name, file size or date of last use. Other new features include adding credits to Apple Music songs and bilingual queries for Siri.
Also appearing in iOS 17 test versions were new posters for contacts, the ability to leave an audio or video message on a missed FaceTime call, and updates to AutoCorrect and the Dictation tool.
iPadOS 17 brings major updates and new apps
Just a week after the arrival of iPadOS 17 beta 6, registered developers can now access beta 7. So far, the test versions have brought the following updates:
- Lock screen redesign: new wallpapers, a new motion effects system for Live Photos and more interactive widgets with music and information players.
- Live Activities: the new real-time activities feature provides information on flights, game scores, food orders and anything else the user wants.
- New Health app: for symptom management, medication reminders, menstrual cycle tracking, interactive graphs and more.
- Safari with new features: profile creation with browsing information, tab grouping and bookmarks.
- Private browsing: the new update brings improvements, with private screen locking and trackers.
WatchOS 10 brings updates to almost all apps.
According to Apple, in the tenth major watchOS update "virtually every app has been rethought." Check out the new features that have already arrived in some of the test versions:
- NameDrop: watchOS 10 beta 5 brought the NameDrop feature, but it is not yet possible to confirm whether the final version will have the feature.
- Full-screen apps: During the beta versions, the use of full-screen apps was tested, creating new content locations.
- New watch faces: Apple has added two new watch faces: Pallet and Snoopy.
- Smart Stack: with this feature you can check timer information, music playback, appointments and more. All from the Smart Stack widgets, which you can access below the watch face by turning the Digital Crown.
- Hiking app update: 3D view of where you are, information on nearby trails and maps.
- Cycling app update: automatically connects to Bluetooth-enabled accessories to add information such as speed, power and cadence.
- Mental health: allows you to record characteristics of your mood and can identify how much time you've spent in daylight.
tvOS 17 introduces improvements to FaceTime
tvOS 17 will bring long-awaited updates to improve the Facetime experience:
- iPhone camera integration: for the first time, Apple TV hardware will be able to integrate with the iPhone's camera, with tvOS 17's new Continuity Camera feature.
- FaceTime on Apple TV 4K: users will be able to initiate calls directly from Apple TV, or initiate them on the iPhone or iPad and transfer them to the TV.
- Other video conferencing apps: apps such as Cisco's Webex and Zoom will be coming to tvOS.
- New Control Center: easier access to system status, current time, active profile and connection information.
- Custom profile settings: the system will store information such as language and paired AirPods for each profile.
MacOS Sonoma will arrive in October.
The current expectation is that macOS Sonoma will not launch alongside iOS 17, but in October, when Apple plans to release new Macs. And test versions of the system already give a glimpse of what's to come:
- Presenter overlay: this feature will allow you to share screens of different sizes while participating in a video call.
- Image control: it will be possible to control zooming and scrolling during a video call.
- Game Mode: this feature ensures that CPU and GPU usage is prioritized when playing games.
- Safari profile: individual profile with browsing history, bookmarks, tab groups and extensions. Search will also be more responsive with more relevant suggestions.
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