Apple on Monday released the fourth betas of iOS 11, macOS 10.13 High Sierra, tvOS 11, and WatchOS 4 to developers.
The new releases are:
- macOS High Sierra 10.13 (17A315i)
- iOS 11 (15A5327g)
- tvOS 11 (15J5333f)
- watchOS 4 (15R5331g)
macOS Sierra 10.13
The fourth beta of macOS High Sierra 10.13 – build17A315i – can be downloaded from the Apple Developer Center or via the “Update” tab in the Mac App Store.
macOS High Sierra 10.13 offers several new features and refinements, including a new Apple File System (APFS), a High Efficiency Video Codec (HEVC) and an updated version of Metal offering support for VR and external GPUs.
iOS 11
The iOS 11 Beta 4 update – build15A5327g – fixes errors with VSCO, Pinterest, Citi Mobile, and Siri, but there are new known issues. These include issues with the AirPlay button in videos that aren’t displaying full screen, which can cause some apps to crash. Plus, FaceTime Live Photos is disabled by default.
Additionally, the call history list in the Recents tab takes awhile to update, which results in the second number in the list being dialed when the first is selected. Cellular data for music downloads is listed in WiFi Services instead of iTunes Accounts.
Notes, Reminders, and Contacts all sport redesigned icons. Users can now swipe left on a Notification to clear it, and a new Touch ID screen appears when users tap on a notification to open it up.
The iOS 11 Beta 3 update is available to registered developers as an over-the-air update on registered iOS devices.
tvOS 11
The tvOS 11 Beta 4 update – build 15J5333f –appears to concentrate on behind-the-scenes fixes such as squashing bug and improving performance, as the developer notes were rather skimpy.
tvOS 11 includes includes new features, bug fixes, and security improvements in the OS and SDK, including:
- Automatic light/dark appearance switching.
- Focus API improvements and custom sound support.
- Home Screen Sync.
- Layered image improvements.
- Mobile Device Management improvements.
- Network-based pairing and development support.
- New background modes and notification support.
- Right-to-left language support.
- Web Inspector support for TVMLKit apps
Registered developers can update to beta 4 of tvOS 11 by connecting their Apple TV to a computer with a USB-C cable and installing the beta software via iTunes.
watchOS 4
watchOS beta 4 – build 15R5331g – is also available. Prior betas included “Toy Story” watch faces, and also fixed issues related to haptic feedback, music playback, location-based HomeKit triggers and Siri.
Developers need to install the proper configuration profile on their Watch from the Apple Developer Center, then the fourth beta of watchOS 4 can be downloaded via the dedicated Apple Watch app on the iPhone by going to “General” -> “Software Update.” The Apple Watch needs to have at least 50% battery, it must be placed on the charger, and it has to be in range of your iPhone.
