UNDERSTANDING THE BETAS
Every year, Apple holds its now iconic
Worldwide Developers Conference, also known
as the WWDC or dub-dub, where it shows
off the exciting changes it’s been making to
the world’s most popular operating systems.
Immediately after, developers can get their
hands on an early build of the software so that
they can test out the features and see how
it’ll work with their apps. Developers must
register to be part of the program and pay
the arbitration fee of $99 per year, but it offers
them the early builds of the new release -
which might be buggy. In comparison, the Beta
Software Program offers consumers the chance
to get their hands on iOS 15, iPadOS 15, macOS
12 Monterey, watchOS 8, and tvOS 15, and
whilst beta testers will still likely run into some
bugs and performance issues, the Public Beta
is designed to help Apple collect more data
on how the operating systems are working
and make tweaks and refinements to ensure a
stable public release, which is typically in the
second week of September for iOS, watchOS,
and tvOS, and in the middle of October for
macOS releases.
This year, Apple has ramped up its Beta
Software Program, expanding the number of
beta testers able to access the software, and
even sending emails to those subscribed to the
beta program to try out its latest public betas.
Why? The company doesn’t want a repeat
of some of its previous iOS releases, which
were plagued with bugs and usability issues,
resulting in dozens of point-releases just days
after the initial release. In an email to testers
in July, Apple said that “The iOS 15, iPadOS