Apple continues to prepare for the upcoming public release of its major operating systems, which means yet another beta for developers has arrived.
Update (08/25/2020): Apple has also seeded the sixth public beta of iOS 14 to public beta testers. For those registered with the program, the new prerelease software can be installed as an over-the-air (OTA) update. If you are not signed up for the program just yet, but want to be, you can sign up here.
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On Tuesday, Apple seeded the sixth betas of iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 to developers. As is par for the course, this is prerelease software not meant for a daily driver. The software is essential for developers to test the platforms and develop apps for the software. Apple will continue to tweak the formula as it prepares for the public launch later this year.
Developers can download and install the latest betas for each platform from Apple’s dedicated site for developers. In addition to that, the prerelease software can also be downloaded and installed as an over-the-air (OTA) update on registered devices. watchOS 7 can be installed on a registered Apple Watch, but it must have at least 50% battery life, be connected to its charger, and be within range of the iPhone. tvOS 14’s latest beta can be downloaded and installed via the registered Xcode profile.
As the betas tick up in version number, Apple may continue to tweak the formula and add new features. For instance, the third developer beta included quite a few changes and additions, including Snapchat integration for Apple Music and a new icon for the streaming service as well; a revamped and more useful Clock widget; and new splash screen pop ups for things like the App Library. Meanwhile, the fourth developer beta added the return of 3D Touch, an updated widget for the Apple TV app, support for Apple’s and Google’s Exposure Notification API, and more. The fifth developer beta added a new widget for Apple News, better location privacy for widgets, availability alerts related to contact tracing apps utilizing Exposure Notification, and more.
It’s possible that Apple will include new changes with this latest developer beta as well, and if that is indeed the case we will update this post accordingly.
You can check out all of the new features for each of these platforms in the links below:
- The 12 most exciting new features in iOS 14
- The 12 most compelling new features in iPadOS 14
- The 6 most interesting new features in macOS Big Sur
And if you’re curious about the system requirements for each platform, we’ve got you covered there, too:
- iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 system requirements
- tvOS 14 system requirements
- watchOS 7 system requirements
- macOS 11 Big Sur system requirements
When Apple does get around to releasing these major updates to the public later this year, each upgrade will be free for the corresponding platform.