Public betas of macOS Catalina, iPad OS, iOS 13, tvOS 13 now available

Posted:
in iOS edited June 2019
Apple has started to provide participants of its public beta program with the first builds of four of its milestone operating systems, including iOS 13, iPadOS, tvOS, and macOS Catalina.

iOS Dark Mode


The first wave of public beta builds can be picked up from the Apple Beta Software Program website to those signed up to take part in the testing scheme. The public versions usually follow a short time after their developer beta counterparts, though for major releases, not typically after the initial developer builds are issued.

Prior to Monday's release, and AppleInsider's hands on, Apple had already issued two rounds of developer betas, with the most recent being on June 17.

As with other public beta releases from Apple, it is usual to find the contents of the public test version to be functionally similar to that of the most recent developer beta.

Apple is also running developer betas for iOS 12.4, tvOS 12.4, watchOS 5.3, and macOS 10.14.6 at the same time as its milestone variants, with a public release of those betas likely to occur long before the major releases are distributed to users.

AppleInsider, and Apple itself, strongly recommend users don't install the betas on to "mission-critical" or primary devices, as there is the remote possibility of data loss or other issues. Instead, testers should install betas onto secondary or non-essential devices, and to make sure there are sufficient backups of important data before updating.

Find any changes in the new betas? Reach out to us on Twitter at @AppleInsider or @Andrew_OSU, or send Andrew an email at [email protected].
sternlight

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 20
    danuffdanuff Posts: 33member
    Call me a stickler, but I disagree with these public betas. IMHO, a general user shouldn't be allowed to have any kind of betas, period.
  • Reply 2 of 20
    davgregdavgreg Posts: 1,036member
    You can install the Public Beta on an external drive so as to not overwrite your release version OS. USB 3 SSDs are not very expensive.

    dewmeforgot username
  • Reply 3 of 20
    SoliSoli Posts: 10,035member
    danuff said:
    Call me a stickler, but I disagree with these public betas. IMHO, a general user shouldn't be allowed to have any kind of betas, period.
    Why not?

    Call me a sticker, but I feel that companies should be allowed to choose how they operate if it's legal and ethical. If they want to allow betas (public or otherwise) so that they can more effectivaly weed out bugs before an official launch then I see no reason to force them to stop.
    edited June 2019 StrangeDayslolliverchia
  • Reply 4 of 20
    Anybody seeing this available yet?
  • Reply 5 of 20
    hentaiboyhentaiboy Posts: 1,252member
    Anybody seeing this available yet?
    Just downloaded the iPad OS profile and it says beta available.
  • Reply 6 of 20
    Not showing on my iPad...sigh...already have the profile installed. Running iOS 12.4 beta at present. 
  • Reply 7 of 20
    MisterKitMisterKit Posts: 492member
    I’ll put iOS 13 on an iPad 5. It will be a good chance to see if it slows down on the A9 while there is still time to bail out and go back to iOS 12. If you wait you don’t have the option. Plus I have several others to keep on 12 for now.
  • Reply 8 of 20
    melgrossmelgross Posts: 33,510member
    With the iPadOS beta, a number of things aren’t implemented as yet. The downloads button isn’t there. The Files implementation looks not that different, though there are some features such as the server option. Haven’t had much time with it yet, but things feel faster. Dark mode is nice. The new voice for safari is nice.
    edited June 2019 caladanianforgot username
  • Reply 9 of 20
    dewmedewme Posts: 5,328member
    danuff said:
    Call me a stickler, but I disagree with these public betas. IMHO, a general user shouldn't be allowed to have any kind of betas, period.
    With all the caveats and warnings I'm less concerned about end users than the extra burden public betas put on the development team. However, Apple's been doing these for quite a few release cycles now and they seem more than capable of handling the extra load. Apple's integration and release process must be working pretty well, so setting a high bar for themselves and living up to it says a lot of godo things about the maturity level of their software development teams. 
    lolliverchia
  • Reply 10 of 20
    Finally figured it out. Had to change my profile to the one for iOS 13. Updating now...exciting times for iPad users....
  • Reply 11 of 20
    melgrossmelgross Posts: 33,510member
    dewme said:
    danuff said:
    Call me a stickler, but I disagree with these public betas. IMHO, a general user shouldn't be allowed to have any kind of betas, period.
    With all the caveats and warnings I'm less concerned about end users than the extra burden public betas put on the development team. However, Apple's been doing these for quite a few release cycles now and they seem more than capable of handling the extra load. Apple's integration and release process must be working pretty well, so setting a high bar for themselves and living up to it says a lot of godo things about the maturity level of their software development teams. 
    They want the feedback. Do you really believe that they do this so some people can brag that they’re using a beta?
    PetrolDave
  • Reply 12 of 20
    imatimat Posts: 208member
    I think Apple is not as much interested in user feedback but rather in "crash logs". Opening a beta to the public provides a much broader range of configurations for the deployment of the OS and therefore a broader spectrum of bugs.

    And, as far as user feedback is concerned, Apple also listens to us, poor "public beta testers", because it did with me more than once.
  • Reply 13 of 20
    hentaiboyhentaiboy Posts: 1,252member
    Just updated my iPad Pro and pleased with the SMB file sharing although it’s pretty slow over WiFi.

    The Dock swipe from bottom has disappeared though 🤨
    edited June 2019
  • Reply 14 of 20
    joogabahjoogabah Posts: 139member
    Looks like the new Siri Voice hasn't yet made it to the Public Beta.
  • Reply 15 of 20
    melgrossmelgross Posts: 33,510member
    imat said:
    I think Apple is not as much interested in user feedback but rather in "crash logs". Opening a beta to the public provides a much broader range of configurations for the deployment of the OS and therefore a broader spectrum of bugs.

    And, as far as user feedback is concerned, Apple also listens to us, poor "public beta testers", because it did with me more than once.
    They want both. Naturally they want the feedback on errors. But they also want feedback involving suggestions. I’ve been told that. Anything reasonable they will read and consider. I did beta testing for a number of companies over the decades, notably for Adobe, and they all solicited feedback for ideas. In fact, a number of major features in Photoshop  and inDesign came from me and a few others.
  • Reply 16 of 20
    I would like to recommend public beta 1 is not downloaded.  I am experiencing a large number of problems which are hampering the use of my devices.  I have subscribed to the public betas for some years and up to now have had no problems. This is what can happen with betas and I am sure it will be sorted out shortly.
  • Reply 17 of 20
    SoliSoli Posts: 10,035member
    I would like to recommend public beta 1 is not downloaded.  I am experiencing a large number of problems which are hampering the use of my devices.  I have subscribed to the public betas for some years and up to now have had no problems. This is what can happen with betas and I am sure it will be sorted out shortly.
    Why recommend that no one install a beta because you're having an issue? You've said that you've used betas for years without issues… but others have had issues, so do you think it's sage to say you shouldn't be installing any of those betas that worked for you?
  • Reply 18 of 20
    melgrossmelgross Posts: 33,510member
    Soli said:
    I would like to recommend public beta 1 is not downloaded.  I am experiencing a large number of problems which are hampering the use of my devices.  I have subscribed to the public betas for some years and up to now have had no problems. This is what can happen with betas and I am sure it will be sorted out shortly.
    Why recommend that no one install a beta because you're having an issue? You've said that you've used betas for years without issues… but others have had issues, so do you think it's sage to say you shouldn't be installing any of those betas that worked for you?
    What I’ve found interesting over the years with software releases, beta or otherwise, is so many variances as to what problems people may, or may not, have. Slight differences  from device to device. Slight differences as to how the device is set up. Slight differences, or large differences as to software installed, etc. All that makes a difference in what “bugs” we’ll see.

    so, for example, I use an app called AudioTools. With the 13 beta, it crashes as soon as I open it. A friend, with the same iPad Pro 12.9” 2018 tablet, with the same memory, has no problem with that app. I have some different plug-ins from him. Also, different apps. So why is this happening? Something, somewhere is interfering with some API or framework on mine that isn’t on his. Either Apple or the developer will have to figure this out.

    but, Apple does recommend that you not use a beta on a machine that’s critical to your workflow, or personal life. In fact, it’s always good practice to wait a week after the final release comes out before installing it, because as we all know, even final releases somehow can have some debilitating bug that no one saw. I know, someone reading this will whine that they want all the new features NOW, and how dare I suggest otherwise. But it’s a choice. I’m running the betas on my tablets because I have tablets from a year earlier that I can alway use if a problem that makes the machine unusable comes up before Apple fixes the problem.

    but I don’t install it on my iPhone, because I only have one of those, and if it goes, it’s a problem.
  • Reply 19 of 20
    SoliSoli Posts: 10,035member
    melgross said:
    Soli said:
    I would like to recommend public beta 1 is not downloaded.  I am experiencing a large number of problems which are hampering the use of my devices.  I have subscribed to the public betas for some years and up to now have had no problems. This is what can happen with betas and I am sure it will be sorted out shortly.
    Why recommend that no one install a beta because you're having an issue? You've said that you've used betas for years without issues… but others have had issues, so do you think it's sage to say you shouldn't be installing any of those betas that worked for you?
    What I’ve found interesting over the years with software releases, beta or otherwise, is so many variances as to what problems people may, or may not, have. Slight differences  from device to device. Slight differences as to how the device is set up. Slight differences, or large differences as to software installed, etc. All that makes a difference in what “bugs” we’ll see.

    so, for example, I use an app called AudioTools. With the 13 beta, it crashes as soon as I open it. A friend, with the same iPad Pro 12.9” 2018 tablet, with the same memory, has no problem with that app. I have some different plug-ins from him. Also, different apps. So why is this happening? Something, somewhere is interfering with some API or framework on mine that isn’t on his. Either Apple or the developer will have to figure this out.

    but, Apple does recommend that you not use a beta on a machine that’s critical to your workflow, or personal life. In fact, it’s always good practice to wait a week after the final release comes out before installing it, because as we all know, even final releases somehow can have some debilitating bug that no one saw. I know, someone reading this will whine that they want all the new features NOW, and how dare I suggest otherwise. But it’s a choice. I’m running the betas on my tablets because I have tablets from a year earlier that I can alway use if a problem that makes the machine unusable comes up before Apple fixes the problem.

    but I don’t install it on my iPhone, because I only have one of those, and if it goes, it’s a problem.
    My brother is having issues with Mail in the public beta and I've had nary an issue with Mail. My Starbucks app is slower than it should be and CarPlay seems to be a little more prone to resetting on my Infotainment screen when activating Siri from my steering wheel, but other than that I've had no issue doing anything and a lot of bonuses for the new system. Hey brother makes his own coffee at home and has a Tesla so neither of my tiny issues are ones he'd even experience, but I assume that, as you mention, that others who do have the use type as I do may not suffer issues at all.

    It does seem like there is more of these non-standard bugs than in decades past, but perhaps that is what happens when you support so many old devices with such complex code with countless features.

    Anecdotally speaking, these YoY updates are considerably more stable then when they only offered a macOS updates once every several years for $129.
    edited June 2019
  • Reply 20 of 20
    svanstromsvanstrom Posts: 702member
    I made sure the most important app would work (a bank/ID-thing); and then tried it on the less important iPad, to then have a go at installing it on my oh so important (work) phone… and it just works.

    Mostly.

    The only problem I've come across is that the Google Home-app doesn't work right: https://support.google.com/chromecast/thread/8695742?hl=en&dark=1
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