All articles tagged with #beta
iOS 27 Beta 3 adds faster search and Siri indexing (down to 2–3 days), refined interface animations including a new low-power mode cue, and deeper Siri integration with third‑party apps (for example Tesla). AirPods Pro 3 gain advanced adaptive audio controls and EQ customization, a new dynamic lock-screen effect, and overall performance and stability improvements, signaling a more polished upcoming release.
Apple releases watchOS 27 Beta 3 with faster Siri and a new Siri app, plus subtle UI tweaks; major features are sparse, some bugs fixed (notably with third‑party heart-rate monitors) and overall stability improved, but installation is a one‑way, ~3.9 GB upgrade with no independent downgrade, so proceed cautiously.
Apple released iOS 26.6 beta 4 for iPhone, with early findings including a change to the limit on blocked contacts and a possible anti‑theft feature; the update may also prep the Spotlight index for iOS 27 as Apple continues toward a September release for iOS 27.
In iOS 27 beta 3, Apple adds a tweak for AirPods Adaptive mode: a small dot on the Adaptive slider lets you nudge the mix between Noise Cancellation and Transparency, yielding a lighter or stronger ambient blend. You still can’t set an exact level by dragging, and the feature remains in beta with no guarantee it will appear in the public release.
Apple's iOS 27 beta 3 adds on-device Siri voice customization (requires iPhone 17 Pro or Air), Live Recognition in Accessibility, a refreshed Reminders icon, Photos rating controls, Control Center cellular details, a wallpaper animation, an AirPods Adaptive slider, plus Maps tooltips, a note about Home Intelligence requiring 2GB iCloud+, and 5G in India.
Apple releases iOS 27 beta 3 for developers, introducing Siri AI improvements and Apple Intelligence updates, plus UI tweaks like the Reminders icon and Settings indexing. watchOS 27 beta 3 adds a standalone Siri app, and macOS gets a Golden Gate wallpaper note. Supported devices remain iPhone 11 and newer, plus iPhone SE 2 and newer; a public beta is expected in July with the final release in September. Installation is via Settings > General > Software Update, and early betas are not recommended for primary devices due to bugs and performance issues.
Google's Android 17 QPR1 Beta 6 is out, reaching Platform Stability with build CP31.260618.005. The update locks the API surface and brings fixes (spell-checker language selection, Clock UI actions, smoother media carousel, WindowManagerGlobal crash fix, and hotspot name fix) plus UI tweaks like a redesigned home-screen context menu, Health Connect metrics expansion, and adjusted desktop windowing with moved taskbar icons and floating PiP windows; available for Pixel 6–10 series and Pixel Tablet devices.
Pixel devices on Android 17 beta 4.1 have reported bootloops after installing Google's latest Play System update; Android Authority advises avoiding that update while on the beta, as Google works on a stable OTA for Android 17 and some users have considered factory resets or sideloading the QPR1 beta as workarounds.
Beta 5 of Android 17 QPR1 is out for Pixel devices (including Pixel 6 and later) two weeks after Beta 4, focusing on bug fixes across features like Game Dashboard, camera idle state, Always-On Display, Download Manager with VPN, charging estimates, Private Space, archived-app bubbles, and a WebView regression. It also adds a new “don’t ask me again” toggle for mobile data; testers can join Google’s Android Beta Program to try it, and if you’re on the Android 17 Beta and want to move to stable, opt out rather than installing Beta 5.
Apple’s iOS 27 beta 2 (also for iPadOS 27 and macOS 27) expands Siri features with a “Write with Siri” prompt, offers faster performance and other incremental Siri improvements, adds RCS-based message reactions and inline replies in Messages, improves Mac-to-iPhone mirroring in macOS Golden Gate, and enables firmware updates for AirPods Max 2, with testers expecting more changes before the fall launch.
Apple has released the second beta of iOS 27 and iPadOS 27 to developers two weeks after the initial betas, available via Settings > General > Software Update. The update introduces Siri AI with a dedicated Siri app and features like Write with Siri systemwide and a new Siri mode, relocates Visual Intelligence to the Camera app, and expands Apple Intelligence across apps like Photos, Safari, Shortcuts, Wallet, and Passwords, along with general performance improvements (faster app launches, quicker AirDrop, and smoother Wi‑Fi/Cellular handoffs).
Apple’s iOS 27 introduces a new extra-large widget size that stretches the Home Screen to a 4×6 grid, with 11 core Apple apps currently supporting these widgets in beta 1, enabling more content to be visible at a glance and likely expanding further in future updates.
WhatsApp is rolling out a new iOS beta animation for chat bubbles, where messages fade in and subtly scale as they settle into the conversation. The feature is currently limited to a subset of testers on iOS via TestFlight (build 26.24.10.70), with no public release date yet; Android testing is also underway.
Epic Games announced a ground-up rebuild of the Epic Games Store launcher at Unreal Fest, aiming for a major performance boost with cold starts up to 5x faster and faster restores from the system tray (about 6.5x). The overhaul replaces much of the underlying architecture, with Launcher V2 entering private beta as “Up First” and a public release “Up Next” on the roadmap, alongside storefront improvements; no concrete timelines were provided.
Apple says watchOS 27 will skip five older Apple Watch models—Series 6, 7, 8, SE 2, and the original Ultra—shifting them to basic security updates only. The cutoff is driven by performance needs for new features like Siri AI and the tap gesture, which are best supported on newer hardware (Series 9 and Ultra 2 or newer, SE 3). Older watches with the latest iPhone will still work and receive security updates, while watchOS 27 is in developer beta with a public beta coming next month and a fall release planned.