The second beta of iOS 18 is now available for developers and eager individuals with free developer accounts to experiment with additional features such as iPhone Mirroring for Mac and upgraded SharePlay screen sharing. However, it is important to note that developer betas are not meant for broad adoption, and it is recommended to wait for the more stable first iOS 18 public beta. To access the public beta, all you need is a free Apple Beta account, a test iPhone that is not your daily phone, and a bit of patience.
The iOS 18 public beta offers new features like customizable home and lock screens, text message formatting, texting via satellite, and a redesigned Photos app. Users can also look forward to Apple Intelligence features that may be introduced later in the year. Based on past beta release schedules and the quick arrival of iOS 18 beta 2 after the first one, it is estimated that the public beta could be available sooner than anticipated.
For those who have already installed the iOS 18 beta and are having second thoughts, there is an option to revert back to iOS 17. As for the release date of the first iOS 18 public beta for iPhones, Apple has stated that it will be available through the Apple Beta Software Program next month at beta.apple.com. Looking at previous releases, the public beta for iOS 18 could potentially arrive around July 8, 2024, following the trend of past public beta releases.
In addition to iOS 18, Apple also typically releases public betas for its other operating systems such as iPadOS, watchOS, tvOS, and HomePod software around the same time. The MacOS public beta may follow a slightly different schedule, but recent releases have aligned with the iOS public beta timeline. It is expected that the MacOS Sequoia public beta could also arrive around July 8, 2024, or shortly thereafter.
Notably missing from the Apple Beta page is Vision OS 2 for the Vision Pro, as Apple did not release a public beta of Vision OS last year. It remains unclear if a public beta of Vision OS 2 will be released this year before the official launch. For more information on what Apple is working on, comparisons between Apple’s Find My Network and Google’s Find My Device, as well as insights into iOS 18’s underrated features, may provide further insights into Apple’s latest developments.
