All articles tagged with #beta
Google Messages is reportedly getting a major UI makeover in a beta that moves buttons like the search icon and Start Chat to bottom-centered locations and adjusts their behavior for easier one-handed use; the redesign also reimagines pinned conversations as large contact icons and may limit how many you can pin, with other tweaks including a new chat backgrounds feature and a 30-day trash folder.
Apple has released the second beta of macOS Golden Gate 27.2 to registered developers, following last week's beta, and the update adds Siri AI in new languages with a launch expected toward the end of October.
watchOS 27.2 beta 2 reintroduces the App Switcher after it was removed earlier, adding a new gesture: long-press at the bottom of the screen inside an app to summon the switcher. Users can navigate with the Digital Crown or swipe to dismiss apps, though it remains uncertain if this interaction will be in the final release.
Apple released the second developer beta of iOS 27.2 (and iPadOS 27.2), adding a redesigned Health app with Insight and Longevity tabs and expanding Siri AI languages, with more features outlined in a guide as the company teases future iPhone Duo enhancements and notes an iOS 27.1 beta will arrive ahead of the Duo's release.
Blizzard says World of Warcraft: Forever’s beta attracted far more players than expected, calling the numbers the craziest he’s seen in 17 years; the test caused login queues and server strain that the team worked to resolve as it gears up for a global November 4 launch.
Kotaku notes World of Warcraft: Forever’s beta introduces updated lighting and water effects to the original game, offered in two modes—classic and updated visuals—sparking a flood of sunset, sunrise, and misty-forest screenshots as players praise the glow while still able to disable the changes if they prefer the original look; the update brings 20 years of lighting tech to a 21-year-old game and even adds the Skyborne Elves as a paid unlock in the beta.
Apple’s iOS 27 adds a beta Cafari app that lets you stream YouTube directly on CarPlay, available only when the car is parked and automatically disabled once the speed exceeds 25 mph. Netflix and Prime Video aren’t supported due to browser restrictions. Setup requires a TestFlight beta, and while the feature offers a smoother YouTube experience on CarPlay, users have reported minor quirks (like a green video border) that are expected to be refined in future updates. Safety remains a priority, with strict safeguards to prevent driving distractions.
Apple released the first iOS 27.2 beta (and iPadOS 27.2) to developers, hinting at new Siri AI language support in October and the possible return of two Apple Intelligence features cut from launch, plus a Health app refresh tease ahead of the iPhone Duo-related iOS 27.1 release.
Apple has seeded the first iOS 27.2 beta to developers instead of iOS 27.1, likely to keep iPhone Duo details from leaking before the Duo’s launch on Oct 23; the 27.1 and 27.2 codebases are expected to converge later as development continues.
Apple's iOS 27.2 developer beta adds Siri AI support for French, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, and Spanish, expanding beyond the initial English-only launch and signaling broader language availability in the iPhone's virtual assistant.
Apple's iOS 27 beta code reveals planned enhancements for the iPhone camera, including exposure scopes with histogram and waveform displays, focus peaking, a new multi-shot timer, and stronger manual focus—plus rumors of aperture-based corrections for future models; not all features are guaranteed to appear in the initial release and some may require newer hardware.
Moon Studios’ action RPG No Rest for the Wicked is postponed from October to March 2027 to improve performance and polish. An open beta is planned for December, and anyone who buys the game before January 2027 will receive in‑game founders rewards. PlayStation pre-orders open in January, giving PS players around two months to earn the same rewards.
Apple released the eighth developer betas of iOS 27 and iPadOS 27, introducing Siri AI with a standalone Siri app, Apple Intelligence features across Photos, Safari, Shortcuts, Wallet, and Passwords, plus Write with Siri and a UI tweak that relocates Visual Intelligence to the Camera app along with a Liquid Glass transparency slider. The update promises performance improvements and can be downloaded via Settings > General > Software Update; more details are in the iOS 27 roundup.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4’s second beta weekend on Steam failed to beat the first weekend’s peak, holding roughly 113k concurrent players versus 115,145, even with Warzone integration and a patch that slowed movement, nerfed slides, increased time-to-kill, tweaked spawns, and raised killstreak requirements. Valve data remains the best public metric, while PlayStation/Xbox/Switch 2 figures aren’t disclosed, leaving overall turnout unclear.
Samsung has released the seventh One UI 9 beta for the Galaxy S26 lineup (S26, S26+, S26 Ultra), a roughly 1.2GB update with firmware ZZHK that brings Fold8-inspired features such as Custom Cards in Now Brief, My FanCam, and unified Finder and Google Search widgets; the update is rolling out in South Korea, India, Germany, Poland, and the UK, and eligible beta users can manually check for it via Settings > Software update.