14 DAY TRIAL // Apple has released today the second Beta builds of the upcoming iOS 11, macOS High Sierra 10.13, watchOS 4, and tvOS 11 operating systems that the company unveiled earlier this month during a keynote speech at WWDC 2017.
As you might know already, application developers with a paid and active Apple Developer annual subscription were allowed to install and test out the first Beta of iOS 11, macOS 10.13 High Sierra, watchOS 4, and tvOS 11 immediately after the WWDC 2017 keynote on June 5.
Now, three weeks later, Apple has prepared a second Beta release for all of the products mentioned above, as well as for macOS Server 5.4 operating system, the Classroom 2.1 iPad app, and Apple Configurator 2.5 app for macOS 10.13 or later, which lets users set up and deploy groups of identically configured iOS devices.
This time Apple has published an extensive list with most if not all the known and fixed issues for iOS 11, macOS 10.13, watchOS 4, and tvOS 11, so we can tell you about some of the improvements and new features that the Cupertino company is preparing for the final releases of its upcoming operating systems.
What's been resolved in iOS 11 Beta 2
In iOS 11 Beta 2, it looks like we will finally be able to use the Facebook Messenger app even when the Facebook app is not installed, migrating from an Android device should now work without hiccups, as well as the video playback controls in Amazon Video and the navigation bars.
There are also good news for those who like to use third-party keyboards, as iOS 11 offers better compatibility with most of them even if they're not allowed full access, and it looks like they made it so that audio will no longer drop during Skype calls. Other than that, iOS 11 has better support for the Tencent Video streaming website.
Among other things that have been resolved, we can mention that iOS 11 won't allow the download of apps whose size are over 100 MB on a Cellular connection once the user acknowledged the warning prompt, and the Bluetooth LE L2CAP channel feature should now be fully functional.
The new Do Not Disturb feature that Apple introduces in iOS 11 is now enabled in this second Beta if you want to try it while driving, and the new Files app received a couple of improvements since the first Beta, especially for thumbnails and VoiceOver interaction.
New features in iOS 11 include support for multipath TCP interactive, aggregate support, a brand new scheduling API, an Adaptable Connectivity API, support for HTTP brotli content encoding to URLSession, and support for choosing the route for playing content when multiple routes are available.
Apple also updated the Safari web browser with a new sync system, saying "iOS 11 adds a new sync system for your Safari Bookmarks and Reading List to provide better syncing and security. Migration to the new sync system occurs silently after all the devices signed in to your iCloud account are running iOS 11."
On the other hand, Siri has received Hindi dictation support, providing users with three keyboards for Hindi, Hinglish, and Hindi transliteration. Of course, numerous smaller issues were resolved for the Music, Messages, Settings, Photos, Phone, Notes, and iBooks apps, as well as SiriKit, HomeKit, HealthKit, and UIKit.
What's been resolved in macOS 10.13 Beta 2
For macOS 10.13 Beta 2, Apple made it possible for the Microsoft Outlook 15.35 application and later version to work, allows users to enable the FileVault feature on APFS (Apple File System) formatted volumes, as well as to reinstall the operating system from the Recovery OS without using Disk Utility to unlock the FileVault-encrypted volume.
Additionally, it looks like Hindi localization support has been added to macOS High Sierra 10.13 Beta 2 as well, and it's now possible to install device-based Volume Purchase Program apps. Users can also enable iCloud Messages even if their Mac is not connected to the Internet and the Safari will now display the new search suggestions.
What's been resolved in watchOS 4 Beta 2
watchOS 4 Beta 2 comes with the new Toy Story watch faces that Apple unveiled during its WWDC 2017 keynote speech, the notification preferences for Breathe are now respected, haptics now play for frontmost apps, music tracks now play from and sync to your Apple Watch, and you can now install, launch and attach a watchOS app when building and running it from Xcode.
What's been resolved in tvOS 11 Beta 2
A bunch of improvements were added to the Home Screen in tvOS 11 Beta 2, most of them being related to how the app icons work. For example, there's no need to restart your Apple TV after changing a user-selectable app icon, an action that will instead will prompt you with a confirmation dialog before the icon is changed. You also don't have to restart your Apple TV after setting a new Home Screen layout.
Moreover, you can now enter your password in the Setup Assistant using Siri's spelling dictation, you don't have to select "First-Time Passcode" in Settings when choosing a wirelessly available Apple TV from QuickTime, and you don't have to restart your Apple TV for the album art to appear in your library after signing into your iTunes account.
As expected, you can download the new iOS 11 Beta 2 (15A5304i), macOS High Sierra 10.13 Beta 2 (17A291j), watchOS 4 Beta 2 (15R5307f), and tvOS 11 Beta 2 (15J5310e) builds for your registered devices from your Apple Developer account and try out all the goodies mentioned above. Unfortunately, Apple is still not offering Public Beta releases of iOS 11 and macOS High Sierra 10.13.