Apple is set to run public betas of iOS versions ahead of their general releases.
After the superb success Apple experienced during the release of OS X Beta Program, just a few months prior to the final release of OS X Yosemite last year, Apple Inc. is doing the same thing on iOS though this will be the first time on such a platform.
According to I4UNews, a new report confirms that Apple will run public betas of iOS starting mid-March allowing iPhone owners to install the beta version iOS 8.3. 9To5Mac notes that this release will match the third iOS 8.3 beta for developers, which is scheduled to release the same week.
The Cupertino based tech giant then expects to debut iOS 9 at its June Worldwide Developer Conference, with a public beta release during the summer and final release in the fall. Just like in the OS X beta program, users will also have an app that enables them to send feedback about the beta back to Apple.
Apparently, the ulterior motive of this new development is to maintain a higher level of exclusivity, the public beta program for iOS. As of now, the facility will apparently be limited to 100,000 people. The testing for the same already began when Apple floated a demo version amidst a selected group of retail employees.
The iOS 8.2, which is in the hands of developers since 2014, will not enter the public beta while iOS 8.3, codenamed Stowe, was initially seeded to developers with numerous improvements in early February. According to 9To5Mac, the updated software features support for Wireless CarPlay, an upgraded Emoji keyboard, an enhanced voice for Siri, and simpler login for Google services to make things really easy for the users.
A second 8.3 beta is expected to come out next week, while, iOS 9, codenamed Monarch, will include fixes and performance enhancements as headline features. 9To5Mac reports, Apple is also working on iOS 8.4, codenamed Copper. The iOS 8.4 will reportedly bundle Apple's all new streaming music service - Beats - which the Cupertino-based tech giant acquired in 2014.
In addition, the public betas will include an app that enables users to report bugs to Apple, similar to the early iOS 8 developers built.
