Apple today seeded the first beta of what would become the third major software update to iOS 10 since its September 2016 release. The release includes a new Find My AirPods feature and other enhancements, like Reduce Motion for websites.
iOS 10.3 beta 1 (build 14E5230e) is available to registered developers who are members of Apple Developer Program. A version of the software aimed at public beta testers registered with Apple Beta Software Program is expected shortly.
The first beta of a future tvOS 10.2 software update is now available to members of the Apple Developer Program and can be deployed through the Software Update mechanism on any fourth-generation Apple TV with an appropriate configuration profile installed. tvOS 10.2 beta (build 14W5222d), a developer-only release, includes new features, bug fixes and improvements in the operating system and the SDK.
Apple this morning launched first developer betas of iOS 10.3 and macOS Sierra 10.12.4, but the company has yet to officially post a developer-focused preview of watchOS 3.2. However, the official changelog meant to accompany watchOS 3.2 beta 1 is live on Apple's servers, suggesting a rumored Theater Mode that Sonny Dickson said would launch in iOS 10 may be coming to Apple Watch instead. And what's Theater Mode all about?
Aside from seeding iOS 10.3 beta 1 to its registered developers, Apple also released the first developer-only beta of what would become the fourth major software update to macOS Sierra. macOS Sierra 10.12.4 beta 1 enhances your Mac with Night Shift mode and other improvements and new features.
Riley Testut's new project Delta, the retro game console emulator, continued its early phase testing yesterday, with the release of a second build for those on its closed beta testing program. According to Testut, healthy feedback from the testers resulted in a slew of bugs and improvement suggestions reported from the first beta, and this second iteration consequently comes with a handy list of fixes and additions.
Chrome 56 for Mac and other platforms has entered Google's beta channel. When released to the general public, the browser will bring native support for the FLAC audio codec within the browser and other perks. This should come in handy because macOS does not support the FLAC file format out of the box so users often must use a third-party converter or video player to play these files. With Chrome 56, Mac users will be able to play FLAC-encoded audio files embedded in web pages or local files drag and dropped onto the browser window.
Apple on Thursday seeded iOS 10.2.1 beta 4 to developers. Registered developers and public testers can install the update either via iOS 10's OTA mechanism, or as a standalone download via Apple's website.
The release comes a few hours after Apple issued the fourth beta of macOS Sierra 10.12.3, and just a few days after beta 3 was seeded for both platforms, suggesting that they are nearing closer to public launch.
Apple on Thursday seeded a fourth beta of what would become the third major software update to macOS Sierra since its public launch last fall. macOS Sierra 10.12.3 beta 4 (build 16D30a) is now available on Mac computers that have a prior Sierra beta installed via the Software Update mechanism in the Mac App Store's Updates tab.
While the jailbreak for iOS 10.1.1 is currently in beta and only supports a certain subset of devices, jailbreak developers are still ramping up for a public jailbreak by releasing new tweaks geared toward iOS 10 and updating their latest jailbreak tweaks for support.
Ryan Petrich is the latest to join that group after having released updated versions of Activator, FlipSwitch, and FlipControlCenter in his beta repository with preliminary iOS 10 support.
Thursday saw the release of a new build of Cydia from its creator Jay Freeman (Saurik). Coming in at version 1.1.28, the build is marked as a beta, designed for use with the fledgling iOS 10.1.x jailbreak from Luca Todesco.
Although I still do not recommend the average user to jailbreak with Yalu for 10.1.x, those who are confident doing so and have already taken the plunge may find this Cydia release improves their experience running the jailbreak slightly.
In a better-late-than-never move, the free cross-platform video converter Handbrake has finally hit version 1.0. The app had been languishing in beta for more than thirteen years. Handbrake 1.0, a free download for Mac, Windows, Ubuntu and other platforms, lets you convert videos easily from nearly any format to a selection of modern, widely supported codecs. With subtitle support, capable transcoding engine and built-in presets for devices like Apple TV, iPhone and iPad, Handbrake makes it easy to optimize videos for your specific hardware.
Today saw the start of the beta program for the long-awaited iOS emulator from developer Riley Testut, Delta. Capable of emulating a wide range of vintage game consoles, this spiritual successor to GBA4iOS boasts a broader feature-set and a polished UI. We managed to get one of the prized places on the Delta beta testing program, and can give you an early glimpse of how it's shaping up.