14 DAY TRIAL // Apple has kicked off this week with a nice new update for developers who took it upon themselves to test and improve the company’s mobile operating system - iOS 5 Beta 5.
The update comes with an unusually large changelog which, courtesy of BGR, is available in its entirely to review and discuss.
Apple outlines not only the new stuff, but previously confirmed enhancements too, signaling that a final release is close.
For example, the company notes that starting in iOS 5, video content in applications and websites are AirPlay-enabled by default, while iOS 5 supports AirPlay of video via AV Foundation.
The release notes advise that developers do not use the iCloud services to store any critical data or information, as iOS 5 Beta 5 is not stable software.
iCloud Storage probably features the largest amount of changes for a single area of the iOS software, with Apple warning that any documents stored on the servers might be purged periodically before the iOS 5 GM (Golden Master) is rolled out this fall.
As expected, Apple highly recommends that developers do not store any critical documents or information on the servers.
A brand new addition to iCloud storage - Provisioning Profiles is no longer need to be enabled for iCloud in the iOS Provisioning Portal.
The company headquartered at 1 Infinite Loop explains that “All newly generated provisioning profiles are now automatically enabled for iCloud.” Apple includes a few additional notes for Xcode users.
iMessage is now compatible with versions including beta 2 and later, but not beta 1.
iPhone 4 units will be unable to join personal hotspots even if it is on. This is due to a non functional Wi-Fi tethering on these devices, Apple says.
Push and local notifications for apps now appear in the new Notification Center in iOS 5.
Other changes touch areas like WiFi syncing, WebKit (the heart and soul of Safari), UIKit (some underlying code for all of the stuff that shows up graphically on the screen), UI Automation, StoreKit (with some in-app purchase changes), the Springboard and others.
Developers enrolled with Apple can visit the company’s iOS Dev Center here and download the latest iOS 5 beta for their testing pleasure.