14 DAY TRIAL // Earlier today, December 16, Apple has started seeding the first Beta build of the first maintenance release of the iOS 9.2 mobile operating system to developers enrolled in the Apple Developer program.
Tagged as build 13D11, iOS 9.2.1 Beta 1 can now be downloaded for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch devices, but only if you're a registered developer. The IPSW images are now live on your Apple Developer account, under the SDKs section for iOS.
At the moment of writing this article, Apple has not published any details about the changes implemented in the iOS 9.2.1 Beta 1 release, though we suspect that it brings bugfixes and performance improvements over iOS 9.2.
"This is a pre-release version of iOS 9.2.1 for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. Devices updated to iOS 9.2.1 can not be restored to earlier versions of iOS. This download requires Apple Developer Program membership," states Apple.
iOS 9.2.1 should arrive early in 2016
Apparently, Apple always discovers new bugs in the iOS mobile operating system, but it also listens to users who report issues, so maintenance releases are on their way all the time, especially right after a major update.
This time, Apple hasn't released anything to Public Beta testers, though it is never too late, as the Cupertino company first seeds the Beta builds to developers enrolled in the Apple Developer program, and then, a few hours or days later, to users worldwide.
However, Beta builds of the iOS mobile operating system are not for deployment on production-ready devices, so you should never jump ship and update your stable iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch device to a pre-release version.
Of course, we will let you, guys, know if Apple releases this first Beta build of iOS 9.2.1 to Public Beta testers in the coming days by updating the article. Otherwise, you should wait for iOS 9.2.1 in early 2016. In related news, Apple has released today the first Beta build of Mac OS X 10.11.3 El Capitan.