Experience the Exciting New iOS 17 and macOS Sonoma: Join the Public Beta Now!

Apple announced the upcoming major updates for iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch earlier this year at WWDC. Now, these updates have entered the public beta phase, making them available for wider testing. You can try them out today.

iOS 17 for iPhone, iPadOS 17 for iPad, macOS Sonoma for Mac, tvOS 17 for Apple TV, and watchOS 10 for Apple Watch have all been released as public betas. These betas come after a period of exclusive testing for app developers. The new public betas should be stable enough for everyday use, although the true stability will be determined once users have had a few days to test it out. Some software, particularly on macOS, may still have issues. To access the public beta, you can sign up on Apple's website.

The iPhone's iOS 17 update brings some exciting new features to enhance your phone experience. Notable additions include personalized lock screens for calls from your contacts, live transcription of incoming voicemails, improved iMessage with stickers and enhanced location sharing. You'll also find the Journal app, interactive widgets, AirDrop improvements, and much more. Additionally, the update introduces a StandBy mode, which transforms your phone into a smart clock or smart display while charging and not in use.

For iPad users, the iPadOS 17 update offers most of the same features, along with Stage Manager enhancements and other upgrades. On the other hand, the macOS Sonoma release is relatively minor but still brings some noteworthy changes. These include new widget features, camera modes, improved web apps in Safari, a performance-optimized Game Mode, and other updates. It's worth noting that installing macOS preview builds is generally riskier compared to other platforms.

If you are hesitant about installing the public betas currently, especially on devices you heavily depend on, it is likely that you won't need to wait much longer for the stable final release. In the past, the iOS 16 update was launched on September 12, 2022, and iOS 15 was released on September 20, 2021. It is probable that another release will occur in September, which is just two months away.