iOS 17
Apple is on the second round of developer betas for its current-gen operation systems, including iOS 17.6, iPadOS 17.6, tvOS 17.6, watchOS 10.6, macOS Sonoma, and visionOS 1.3.
Developers taking part in Apple’s beta program can secure the new builds through the Apple Developer Center or more directly by updating their iPhone or iPad already running the betas via the Settings app. Public beta versions usually arrive a short time after the developer versions, and public participants can sign up through the Apple Beta Software Program website.
The first round for the betas was issued on June 17.
- iOS 17.6 & iPadOS beta 2 21G5061c
- macOS 14.6 beta 2 23G5061b
- macOS 13.6.7 release candidate 22G810
- macOS 12.7.6 release candidate 21H1310
- tvOS 17.6 beta 2 21M5054a
- visionOS 1.3 beta 2 21O5756a
- watchOS 10.6 beta 2 21U5560b
This isn’t Apple’s only developer beta generation undergoing testing. It is also working on the fall builds, including iOS 18 and iPadOS 18, watchOS 11, tvOS 18, and macOS Sequoia.
This late in the product lifecycle, there are no major feature changes in the betas. The lion’s share of changes almost certainly to be incorporated into the next-gen betas instead.
AppleInsider and Apple strongly suggest users don’t install test operating systems or other beta or RC software on “mission-critical” or primary devices, as there is the small chance of issues that could result in the loss of data. Testers should instead use secondary or non-essential hardware and ensure they have sufficient backups of their critical data at all times.
