Apple on Wednesday released the fourth betas of its upcoming new operating systems, tvOS 13 and watchOS 6 to developers for testing.
Beta builds are available to developers over the air on the devices with the proper configuration installed. Developers can also download the new betas from the Apple Developer Center.
tvOS 13 Features
- New Home screen. Apple TV 4K is even more engaging with a new Home screen designed for discovery. Apps can now play full-screen video previews on the Home screen, so users can quickly enjoy great new TV shows, movies, music and games.
- Multi-user support. The new Apple TV Control Center makes it easy to switch between family members so everyone gets their own personalized entertainment experience. Users see their unique Up Next list and receive TV and movie recommendations based on their tastes. The new Control Center also provides users with quick access to key Apple TV features, including system sleep and audio routing.
- Apple Music. Apple Music on tvOS 13 takes advantage of multi-user support, so everyone at home can easily play their personalized playlists and recommendations. In the new Control Center, users can quickly access the song that is currently playing. In addition, users can now follow along to onscreen lyrics timed in sync with their favorite songs.
- Apple Arcade. This fall, Apple Arcade comes to Apple TV 4K. With a single subscription, a family of six will have unlimited access to over 100 new and exclusive games, all with no ads or additional purchases, and many will offer support for game controllers. Customers will be able to play Apple Arcade games across iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac and Apple TV.
- Xbox and PlayStation game controllers. tvOS 13 adds support for the best and most popular game controllers in the world, Xbox One S and PlayStation DualShock 4, making it even easier for gamers to take advantage of Apple Arcade and other great games on the App Store.
- New screen savers. Apple is expanding the stunning collection of 4K HDR screen savers available on Apple TV 4K by taking viewers under the sea. Filmed in collaboration with the BBC Natural History Unit, the team behind “Blue Planet,” these immersive videos captured from the depths of oceans around the world showcase mesmerizing creatures and scenes.
watchOS 6 Features
- A new Cycle Tracking app offers women the ability to log information about their menstrual cycles and see the predicted time of their next period and fertile window using their Apple Watch. Information will be available about current period, flow, symptoms, results from ovulation prediction kits and other elements of fertility tracking.
- The new Noise app is designed to help users understand the sound levels around them, in such environments as concerts and sporting events that could negatively impact their hearing. The app’s decibel meter moves in real time, reacting to the changes in sound level. The Watch can notify users if the decibel level reaches 90 decibels, which the World Health Organization says can begin to impact hearing after four hours per week of exposure at that level.
- The Activity app on the iPhone will now give users a long-term view of their activity behavior, helping them to understand their progress. The tab shows whether their activity levels are trending up or down for key metrics such as active calories, exercise minutes, walking pace and others. The app can also provide coaching to help a user get back on track.
- For the first time, watchOS allows users to view the Apple Watch App Store directly on their Watch, allowing them to install third-party apps directly from the Watch. Users can search for apps using Siri, dictation or Scribble and view app product pages designed for the watch screen right from the wrist. Developers will be allowed to build Apple Watch-only apps, which will work without a corresponding iPhone app.
- watchOS 6 introduces dynamic new watch faces and customization options offering more personalization and access to favorite apps, contacts and information. These include: Modular Compact, Solar Dial, California, Gradient and Numerals faces.
- New developer tools include an audio API to stream music, radio and podcasts, an API to give extended runtime to session-based tasks, such as physical therapy and meditation, and Core ML now uses the Apple Neural Engine on Apple Watch Series 4, enabling faster processing of on-device inputs.
- The popular Voice Memos app is now available on Apple Watch.
- Audiobooks purchased on Apple Books are now available to listen to directly from the new Audiobooks app on the watch.
- The new Calculator app helps with tip calculations and splitting checks right from the wrist.
- Siri search queries can display webpage results in full on Apple Watch.
- Apple GymKit compatibility extends to manufacturers Octane Fitness, TRUE Fitness and Woodway, connecting Apple Watch to more cardio equipment in clubs around the world.
As usual, MacTrast and Apple both warn users to not install any betas on your daily driver Apple TV or Apple Watch, instead only install it on a device set aside for testing purposes.
