Ahead of October 20's public launch of iOS 8.1, Apple has released iCloud Photos to users running the iOS 8.1 beta on their devices. Qualifying accounts will be able to access iCloud Photos to view their iCloud Photo Library on the web through the beta version of iCloud.com.
Reports indicate that iCloud Photos looks and functions much like the stock Photos app on iOS, with the ability to view photos and select them to download to your computer.
Apple on Friday unofficially confirmed that a new Photos web app will be available through the iCloud web interface, most likely after iOS 8.1 launches next Monday. As we previously reported, visiting the beta.iCloud.com/#photos URL used to produce an unusual error message indicating a web-based version of the iOS Photos app was in the works.
Folks who have signed up for iCloud Beta should now visit the same URL as there's a brand new webpage showing teaser graphics and the message saying “To use iCloud Photos on the web, upgrade your iOS device to iOS 8.1”.