Beta

Apple fixes long-standing keyboard issue in iOS 8.3 beta

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 30, 2018

It appears Apple plans to fix a long-standing keyboard issue which caused users to inadvertently tap the period key when aiming for the space bar in Safari. As noted by MacRumors, beta versions of iOS 8.3 feature a design change that should resolve the problem.

In 8.3, Apple has made the space bar longer on the keyboard that pops up when inputting text in Safari's omnibar, and the 'Go' button shorter. This should make it less likely for users to encounter accidental period key presses when typing out their web searches.

Here’s how iOS 8.3’s new Conversation List Filter works for the Messages app

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 30, 2018

iOS 8.3 brings a fairly significant new feature to the stock Messages app—Conversation List Filtering. This means that instead of just having one single "inbox" for conversations in the Messages app, you now have two, broken up via two tabs: Contacts & SMS and Filtered.

Yosemite 10.10.3 beta with Photos for Mac now available via OS X Public Beta program

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 2, 2015

The first beta of the forthcoming OS X Yosemite 10.10.3 software update which contains the long-expected Photos for Mac application, is now available via the AppleSeed Public Beta service.

Participants in the OS X Public Beta program can download the software update right now via the Updates tab of the Mac App Store. The public beta carries a build number of 14D87, the same like the second 10.10.3 beta that the company seeded to its registered Mac developers a week ago.

ReturnToSender: press the return key to send texts in the Messages app

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 30, 2018

Are you ever annoyed by the presence of the "return" key in the Messages app? Yes, sometimes it's nice to be able to quickly insert line breaks in messages by means of this key, but it's usually a rare need, and as such, some find such a key to be unnecessary.

Instead, wouldn't it be cool if you could replace the return key with a send button? That's the premise behind a beta tweak called ReturnToSender.

iOS 8.2 beta 2 is no longer being signed

Jeff Benjamin ∙ February 27, 2015

Bad news for would-be jailbreakers of iOS 8.2 beta 1 or beta 2—both firmwares are no longer being signed. There seems to be conflicting reports going around about whether or not Apple has killed access to beta 1, beta 2, or both beta firmwares, but I can personally confirm that Apple has shut down access to both.

Why is this significant? It's significant because iOS 8.2 beta 1 and beta 2 were the only firmwares available that allowed users to jailbreak using PP Jailbreak on Mac or TaiG on Windows.

OS X 10.10.3 Yosemite beta 2 seeded to devs

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 3, 2016

Alongside the just-released iOS 8.3 Beta 2, Apple on Monday also seeded the second beta of a forthcoming OS X 10.10.3 Yosemite software update to its registered Mac developers.

Carrying a build number of 14D87h, OS X Yosemite 10.10.3 beta 2 (like the first beta) bundles a pre-release version of Apple's long-expected Photos for OS X application that will replace iPhoto and Aperture on Macs.

Registered Mac developers can apply OS X 10.10.3 Yosemite beta 2 through the Mac App Store's Software Update mechanism. In addition to Photos for Mac, Apple is asking developers to specifically focus on Wi-Fi captive network support and screen sharing.

Apple releases iOS 8.3 beta 2 to developers

Jake Smith ∙ February 23, 2015

Apple has seeded iOS 8.3 beta 2 to developers, now available to download over-the-air or from the Developer Center. Along with the iOS software, Apple has also seeded Xcode 6.3 beta 2 with Swift 1.2 for developers to begin using with their apps and a new beta for the Apple TV.

How to jailbreak iOS 8.2 beta 2 on Mac

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated June 11, 2018

Although Apple has closed the signing window for iOS 8.1.2, there's still an inkling of hope for those of you who are developers and wish to jailbreak your devices. How so? iOS 8.2 beta 2 is still being signed by Apple, and this firmware is still jailbreakable.

What does this mean? It means that even if you're currently on iOS 8.1.3 or any other firmware, you can downgrade or upgrade to iOS 8.2 beta 2 and then jailbreak your device using the PP Jailbreak tool for Mac.

Apple reportedly launching iOS Public Beta program next month

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 20, 2015

“Multiple people briefed on the plans” told 9to5Mac's well-connected Mark Gurman that Apple could soon launch the first-ever public beta program for its mobile operating system in an effort to help eradicate bugs that have traditionally plagued major iOS releases, especially iOS 8.

Tim Cook & Co. are said to release upcoming iOS 8.3 code-named Stowe as a public beta through the existing AppleSeed program in mid-March, matching the third iOS 8.3 beta for developers expected to release the same week.

Apple seeds iOS 8.3 Beta 1: wireless CarPlay, 2-factor Google Accounts, new emoji layout, more

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 9, 2015

Monday morning, Apple somewhat unexpectedly seeded the first beta of iOS 8.3 to developers. Registered iOS developers can download the software through Apple's Dev Center portal.

The first beta of iOS 8.3 arrives just a week after seeding the fifth beta of iOS 8.2, which is also currently in testing and due for release soon.

BGR said recently that iOS 8.2 will arrive ahead of the Apple Watch launch in April so it's unclear what new features iOS 8.3 brings to iOS.

Apple seeds OS X 10.10.3 beta with new Photos app

Jake Smith ∙ Updated May 17, 2018

The death of iPhoto is here, as Apple has begun rolling out OS X 10.10.3 to beta testers on Thursday with the all-new Photos app found within the pre-release software.

Developers can grab the OS X 10.10.3 software from the Mac App Store software update tool or through the Developer Center.

Apple seeds sixth OS X 10.10.2 beta to developers

Cody Lee ∙ January 21, 2015

Apple has seeded a new beta of its upcoming OS X Yosemite 10.10.2 this afternoon. The update, labeled build 14C106a, is available through the Update tab in the Mac App Store, as well as the online Dev Center, for all Mac developers.

Today’s release comes exactly one week after the previous OS X 10.10.2 beta, and Apple has once again asked developers to focus their testing efforts on the long-standing issue of Wi-Fi connectivity, as well as Mail and VoiceOver.