iOS 9: Apple Inc. To Publicly Test The iPhone 7 OS This Summer [REPORT]

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The iOS 9 will focus more on stability and fixing bugs, rather than introducing new features

Apple’s iOS 9 operating system won’t be unveiled until the Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) in June. The new mobile OS is expected to be launched with the next-generation iPhone, likely to be called the iPhone 7, in September. However, a few lucky participants will get to test the iOS 9 beta this summer. Multiple sources familiar with the development told Mark Gurman of 9to5Mac that Apple was planning to publicly test the future iOS builds.

iOS 8.3 public testing to begin in mid-March

Sources said that the iOS 8.3 public testing will begin in March and iOS 9 in summer. The iOS 8.3 includes improvements to Siri, support for Wireless CarPlay system, and a new emoji keyboard. The Cupertino company has already started offering beta build of iOS 8.3, code named ‘Stowe’, to developers. It will also have an easier login process for Google services. The following iOS 8.4 update is expected to include support for Apple’s new music streaming service.

The iOS 9 will focus more on stability and fixing bugs rather than introducing new features. Public testing will help Apple ensure that there are no problems when the OS is released. The iOS 8 came with plenty of bugs that affected the iPhone’s TouchID fingerprint scanner and disrupted cellular services. Apple was forced to send out a series of updates to fix the problems.

Only 100,000 users can participate in iOS 9 public testing

Sources told Gurman that Apple will open the iOS public beta builds only to the first 100,000 users who sign up for the AppleSeed program to maintain “exclusivity.” The tech giant last year came up with a similar public testing program for the OS X Yosemite with one million users. Apple has traditionally offered beta builds only to developers.

Users who manage to sign up for the new iOS public testing program will get a dedicated bug-reporting app, pretty similar to what the OS X public beta users and developers were given last year. Separately, reports suggest that the iOS 9 has already entered public testing, albeit on a small scale. Google Analytics data for many websites including Apple Insider and MacWorld show multiple visits to their websites from iOS 9 devices.

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