Apple releases sixth betas of iOS 9.3, watchOS 2.2, OS X El Capitan 10.11.4

AppleInsider · March 7, 2016 6:09PM

Developers and public beta testers can now get their hands on the sixth pre-release betas of iOS 9.3, and OS X El Capitan 10.11.4, while a new build of watchOS 2.2 is also available exclusively for developers.

Apple launched all three new builds on Monday, though watchOS is not a part of Apple's public beta program. They arrive less than one week after the fifth beta builds launched.

iOS 9.3 beta 6 is identified as build 13E5231a. watchOS 2.2 beta 6 carries the build 13V5143a, and OS X El Capitan 10.11.4 beta 6 is build 15E61b.

Apple had been releasing new tvOS builds alongside the other trio of betas in recent weeks. However, as of Monday afternoon, tvOS remained on the same build released last week.

iOS 9.3 will add a number of features, such as a Night Shift mode, secure Notes, and extra 3D Touch shortcuts. It will also implement capabilities aimed at schools and enterprise, such as a Classroom app for teachers and more control over apps and home screens. Apple Pencil navigation has also been restored to the iPad Pro as of iOS 9.3 beta 5.

OS X 10.11.4 includes a handful of new features, like individually encrypted items in Notes, and support for displaying iPhone 6s Live Photos in Messages. It also patches a bug related to opening links on Twitter via Apple's Safari browser.

watchOS 2.2 -- when used in conjunction with iOS 9.3 -- will allow owners to pair multiple Apple Watches to a single iPhone, and brings a new look the Maps app's Glance view.

josu · March 7, 2016 6:21PM

Probably available for everybody in a couple of weeks just in time for the release of the new iPhone and iPad.

dysamoria · March 7, 2016 6:47PM

What about the BUGS?

• Safari tab thumbnails in iOS.
• app thumbnails in task switching in iOS.
• beyond abysmal text selection behaviors in Safari on iOS.
• behavior of autocorrection on webpage text boxes (spontaneously fails to work, most often at start of new lines).
• weather info absent from notification screen at random times (forcing user to open weather app to get it to function again).
• Mac OS X mouse pointer/tab bugs when viewing jpeg image URLs in Safari (mouse pointer doesn't change for correct context).

Behaviorsl issues (see, example of autocorrection issues at the start of this line):

• the way control center swipes and keyboards interfere with each other.
• the ridiculously verbose weather info on the notification screen which often doesn't even tell you the current temperature.

etc.

yes I've reported all of this to Apple

rogifan_new · March 7, 2016 6:58PM

dysamoria said:

What about the BUGS?

• Safari tab thumbnails in iOS.
• app thumbnails in task switching in iOS.
• beyond abysmal text selection behaviors in Safari on iOS.
• behavior of autocorrection on webpage text boxes (spontaneously fails to work, most often at start of new lines).
• weather info absent from notification screen at random times (forcing user to open weather app to get it to function again).
• Mac OS X mouse pointer/tab bugs when viewing jpeg image URLs in Safari (mouse pointer doesn't change for correct context).

Behaviorsl issues (see, example of autocorrection issues at the start of this line):

• the way control center swipes and keyboards interfere with each other.
• the ridiculously verbose weather info on the notification screen which often doesn't even tell you the current temperature.

etc.

yes I've reported all of this to Apple

Are these issues specific to 9.3 beta?

MacPro · March 7, 2016 7:32PM

dysamoria said:

What about the BUGS?

• Safari tab thumbnails in iOS.
• app thumbnails in task switching in iOS.
• beyond abysmal text selection behaviors in Safari on iOS.
• behavior of autocorrection on webpage text boxes (spontaneously fails to work, most often at start of new lines).
• weather info absent from notification screen at random times (forcing user to open weather app to get it to function again).
• Mac OS X mouse pointer/tab bugs when viewing jpeg image URLs in Safari (mouse pointer doesn't change for correct context).

Behaviorsl issues (see, example of autocorrection issues at the start of this line):

• the way control center swipes and keyboards interfere with each other.
• the ridiculously verbose weather info on the notification screen which often doesn't even tell you the current temperature.

etc.

yes I've reported all of this to Apple

I have not experienced these 'bugs' on the OS X side, has anyone else? I am running 10.11.4 Beta (15E61b). Often it's worth running Disk Warrior on a Mac if weird things start.

mwhite · March 7, 2016 7:41PM

digitalclips said:

dysamoria said:

What about the BUGS?

• Safari tab thumbnails in iOS.
• app thumbnails in task switching in iOS.
• beyond abysmal text selection behaviors in Safari on iOS.
• behavior of autocorrection on webpage text boxes (spontaneously fails to work, most often at start of new lines).
• weather info absent from notification screen at random times (forcing user to open weather app to get it to function again).
• Mac OS X mouse pointer/tab bugs when viewing jpeg image URLs in Safari (mouse pointer doesn't change for correct context).

Behaviorsl issues (see, example of autocorrection issues at the start of this line):

• the way control center swipes and keyboards interfere with each other.
• the ridiculously verbose weather info on the notification screen which often doesn't even tell you the current temperature.

etc.

yes I've reported all of this to Apple

I have not experienced these 'bugs' on the OS X side, has anyone else? I am running 10.11.4 Beta (15E61b). Often it's worth running Disk Warrior on a Mac if weird things start.

The one thing and this is why I went back to regular El Capitan is it kept making me re-log in to my yahoo mail account in mail. Each time they update it I try using the update with the same problem.

arybaryba · March 7, 2016 8:30PM

I know this is a dumb question, but . . . how do you get the watchOS beta? I've been in the public beta program since the beginning, including the current public betas of iOS 9.3 and OS X 10.11.4, but I can't for the life of me figure out the watchOS beta install.

razormaid · March 7, 2016 9:17PM

arybaryba said:

I know this is a dumb question, but . . . how do you get the watchOS beta? I've been in the public beta program since the beginning, including the current public betas of iOS 9.3 and OS X 10.11.4, but I can't for the life of me figure out the watchOS beta install.

You have to have your iPhone running 9.3 beta.
Then click the watch app on your iPhone .
In settings -> general (in the watch app)... you'll see the upgrade software option

arybaryba · March 7, 2016 10:33PM

razormaid said:

arybaryba said:

I know this is a dumb question, but . . . how do you get the watchOS beta? I've been in the public beta program since the beginning, including the current public betas of iOS 9.3 and OS X 10.11.4, but I can't for the life of me figure out the watchOS beta install.

You have to have your iPhone running 9.3 beta.
Then click the watch app on your iPhone .
In settings -> general (in the watch app)... you'll see the upgrade software option

That's exactly what I thought. I do have the latest 9.3 beta (13E5231a), but when I open the Watch app and go to software update, I get "Watch OS 2.1, your software is up to date." I'd love to check it out, but maybe it's coming pretty soon as fast as they're pushing these out. Thanks for the response though. Appreciate it!

lim · March 7, 2016 10:50PM

arybaryba said:

I know this is a dumb question, but . . . how do you get the watchOS beta? I've been in the public beta program since the beginning, including the current public betas of iOS 9.3 and OS X 10.11.4, but I can't for the life of me figure out the watchOS beta install.

"...while a new build of watchOS 2.2 is also available exclusively for developers."

Goldfinger10 · March 7, 2016 11:02PM

I'm having tons of problems with OS X 10.11.3! Safari frequently freezes my whole computer after closing a tab. This is frankly unacceptable. I even wiped my whole computer to see if it was an issue with my install. I have a macbook air 2013, does anyone else have this issue?

lkrupp · March 8, 2016 12:13AM

Goldfinger10 said:

I'm having tons of problems with OS X 10.11.3! Safari frequently freezes my whole computer after closing a tab. This is frankly unacceptable. I even wiped my whole computer to see if it was an issue with my install. I have a macbook air 2013, does anyone else have this issue?

No. Like so many you assume your experience is the norm. Perhaps you would do better by requesting assistance from the Apple Discussion forums. There are many longtime experienced users willing to help you resolve issues like yours. And leave any snark or frustration at the door. Ask politely and don't rant and rave or bash Apple.

arybaryba · March 8, 2016 2:25AM

lim said:

arybaryba said:

I know this is a dumb question, but . . . how do you get the watchOS beta? I've been in the public beta program since the beginning, including the current public betas of iOS 9.3 and OS X 10.11.4, but I can't for the life of me figure out the watchOS beta install.

"...while a new build of watchOS 2.2 is also available exclusively for developers."

See? I told you it was a dumb question ;-) Gotta read the fine print. Thanks a lot!

Goldfinger10 · March 8, 2016 2:45AM

lkrupp said:

Goldfinger10 said:

I'm having tons of problems with OS X 10.11.3! Safari frequently freezes my whole computer after closing a tab. This is frankly unacceptable. I even wiped my whole computer to see if it was an issue with my install. I have a macbook air 2013, does anyone else have this issue?

No. Like so many you assume your experience is the norm. Perhaps you would do better by requesting assistance from the Apple Discussion forums. There are many longtime experienced users willing to help you resolve issues like yours. And leave any snark or frustration at the door. Ask politely and don't rant and rave or bash Apple.

Wow so I guess it's ok for a company which creates both the hardware and software for their devices to have significant flaws after 3 iterations of the same OS release. Not to mention the fact that they have a very limited range of macs so it should be no trouble for a multi-billion dollar company to test each one. I love apple, and I generally have only praise for them, but you seem to be the kind of person who just blindly casts aside any fault, which will harm apple and it's customers a lot more than help.

[Deleted User] · March 8, 2016 8:58AM

dysamoria said:

• beyond abysmal text selection behaviors in Safari on iOS.

this! oh how I hope this is resolved. The amount of trouble I have sometimes trying to copy and paste a section of text from safari to another app. Getting the selection highlight in the right place is often hard enough then the options pop-up randomly doesn't appear so I can't "copy" text and have to start again. It's one (of the very few) thing where all my android devices excel at in comparison - copy & paste.

jrg_uk · March 9, 2016 11:27PM

rogifan_new said:

dysamoria said:

What about the BUGS?

• beyond abysmal text selection behaviors in Safari on iOS.

yes I've reported all of this to Apple

Are these issues specific to 9.3 beta?

This one - text selection - has been driving me up the wall in all releases of iOS 9. It seems to be worse in the "embedded Safari" views, but it's not anywhere near perfect in normal Mobile Safari either.

Also, frequently, if you can manage to mark the area you want, you can't then copy it as the pop up does not appear.

Apple releases sixth betas of iOS 9.3, watchOS 2.2, OS X El Capitan 10.11.4

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