14 DAY TRIAL // Apple is offering new betas to developers, including a new build of iOS 8 for testing on iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, iPhone 5s, and 5c, iPad 2 and newer, as well as iPod touch fifth generation.
Posted a few hours ago on the company’s Developer portal, iOS 8 Beta 1 is labeled as build 12A4297e.
“This is a pre-release version of iOS 8 beta 2 for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. Devices updated to iOS 8 beta 2 can not be restored to earlier versions of iOS,” Apple warns.
“Be sure to backup your devices using the latest version iTunes or through iCloud backup prior to installing iOS 8 beta. After installing iOS 8 beta, you can restore your device using either the latest version of iTunes or through your iCloud backup,” the Cupertino giant adds.
As usual, this build is intended only for devices registered with the Apple Developer Program. Any attempts to install iOS 8 beta 2 in an unauthorized manner can put the device in an unusable state.
“Only registered development devices will be able to upgrade to future beta releases and the final iOS software,” the iPhone maker adds.
The release notes bundled with the beta indicate that Apple still has a truckload of bugs to address. Areas in need of attention include the App Store, Authentication, Battery Life, Bluetooth, CarPlay, CloudKit, Contacts, Extensions, FaceTime, as well as new features in iOS 8, like FamilySharing, Handoff, HealthKit, and HomeKit.
“To report any bugs not mentioned in the Notes and Known Issues section, use the Bug Reporter app or Bug Reporter on the Apple Developer website (http://developer.apple.com/bugreporter/),” Apple adds.
“You can quickly get to the Bug Reporter app from the Notifications Panel. Additionally, you may discuss these issues and iOS SDK 8.0 in the Apple Developer Forums: http://devforums.apple.com. To get more information about iCloud for Developers, go to http://developer.apple.com/icloud,” the general release notes state.
iOS 8 has been scheduled to launch as a final, consumer-ready OS this fall, featuring visual improvements, new Messages functionality, iCloud Photo Library, a new Health app that gives you an overview of your health and fitness, predictive typing for Apple’s QuickType keyboard, Family Sharing to share purchases, photos, and calendars within the same household, and iCloud Drive.
The software will be offered as a free download to all supported iDevices when Apple finishes up development. This year, the company is dropping one more device from the compatibility list, namely the A4-based iPhone 4, which apparently can't handle the workload. This is hardly a surprise, considering that many iPhone 4 users have reported a bad experience under iOS 7.