Apple has released second beta versions of its macOS Sierra and iOS operating systems. On Wednesday, developers were the first to have access to iOS 10.2.1 and macOS 10.12.3.
Apple has now released these versions to the public. These can be accessed by public testers who are registered in Apple's Beta Software Program. Apple also seeded the beta version of watchOS 3.1.3 to developers. The tvOS 10.1.1 software update has already been released earlier this December for developer testing.
Minimal Changes For The Second Beta Versions
The company declined to comment on what changes were made in these beta versions, although the macOS release notes did say that there will be "stability, compatibility, and security" improvements for the macOS 10.12.3.
It is highly unlikely that there will be major changes made via these updates, considering the feature-packed release of the iOS 10.2 and the changes made in macOS 10.12.2. The new beta versions are expected to be simple maintenance updates that are meant to clean up the systems, and fix the bugs that were not addressed in the iOS 10.2 and macOS 10.12.2 releases.
It remains unclear whether the new beta version of iOS 10.2.1 would help users who experience battery life issues with their iPhone 6s. For now, Apple has recommended that those users will need to bring their iPhones to an Apple store and request a battery replacement.
Changes That Have Been Made So Far
Major changes have been made with the release of iOS 10.2, which featured the addition of more than 100 emojis, a brand new TV app that keeps track of favorite shows, new screen effects in Messages, and new wallpapers for the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus.
There were also new notification changes for the Apple HomeKit platform and the addition of "Preserve Settings" for the Camera app. There were also minor changes made to the News and Music apps.
On the other hand, the macOS Sierra 10.12.2 update improved the setup of the Auto Unlock feature and removed the "time remaining" battery indicator.
Sign Up For Apple's Beta Program
If you want to participate in Apple's beta testing program, you can sign up on the company's beta testing website, which provides public testers access to both iOS and macOS Sierra betas. Those who sign up for the program should know that beta versions are not that stable and may include bugs, which is why these versions should only be installed on secondary devices.
