Apple, on Thursday, came out with iOS 13 Beta 7 for the registered developers. This new beta version comes a week after the last round of releases, and brings new bug fixes and refinements.
Talking of the changes that the new beta version comes with there are no major ones, and this is expected as well. Tweaks and changes get more and more minor as we move toward the final release.
With iOS 13 Beta 7, folder backgrounds are grey again, meaning the color change made in the earlier beta has been reverted back. Apple has also tweaked the Dark Mode Control Center widget wording, which now says Light Mode or Dark Mode, instead of Light Appearance or Dark Appearance.
Also, users can again delete photos and other attachments from Messages. To do so, click on the ‘i’ in a conversation and then long press on a photo, document or a link to get the menu to show a delete option.
Further, users now get more options when it comes to messages from blocked senders. You can now move such messages to the trash or go for the default option of marking them as blocked and leave them in the inbox. Another change in Messages is that name and photo sharing is now working. This means that whoever adds your number as a contact, your image and preferred name will also be shared with them.
Another minor improvement is an added line while toggling on Silence Unknown Callers. This new line assures users that incoming calls from those in the contact list will continue to ring.
Further, Apple has also slightly tweaked the microphone icon on the keyboard. As well, a change that came with the Beta 6 that showed a shortcut menu to appear whenever the screen is tapped with three fingers has been updated. Now, the menu will pop up only when actively typing giving you quick access to options like cut, copy, paste and undo.
Apple has also changed how you view All Photos in the main Photos tab in iOS 13. All the photos now are displayed in a three column grid replacing the smaller thumbnails available before. With the Beta 7, Notify When Found has also come inside the Find My app. Moreover, a new “Help a Friend” option has been added to the “Me” tab that opens iCloud.com to allow a friend to trace a lost device.
Apple has also improved the Do Not Disturb settings, which now sync properly between the Apple Watch and iPhone. With Beta 7, the three gradient wallpapers in the Home app have also returned. Also, the bug with the Dynamic Wallpapers is fixed now, and “All Photos” and “Recent” albums are now back on the wallpaper menu.
For those beta testing apps, there is a new TestFlight screen instructing users on how to take a screenshot. Further, Screen Time in Settings gets a new average line, which spans the week. On the other hand, the week is also viewable in the day-view.
Interestingly, the latest developer beta also includes a hint of the iPhone 11 release date. iHelp BR discovered an image in iOS 13 Beta 7 named “HoldForRelease” and it includes the September 10 date on the calendar of the iOS 13 home screen. The iOS 12 included a similar image with September 12 displayed on it, the same date on which Apple announced the iPhone X.
Apart from these minor improvements, Apple’s latest build is also about bug fixes and stability improvements. If you have wanted to try the iOS 13, but have not done so due to stability issues, then you could consider installing the latest beta builds. These are much more stable than the earlier builds, though you may still find some lingering issues with the latest builds as well.
Many of the features that went missing from the previous builds are still not available. The feature HomeKit automations that uses the HomePod or AirPlay 2 speakers, has not returned yet. Other missing features are the Automation tab inside the Shortcuts app, sharing an ETA in Maps, and the ability to announce calls to AirPods.
Yesterday, Apple also released the iOS 13 public Beta 6. What surprised many was that the public beta came just hours after the developer Beta 7. So far with iOS 13, Apple has followed a schedule of waiting for a day at least after the developer beta release to come out with the public beta. A gap of one day gives Apple enough time to fix issues flagged by the developers.
Apple came out with eleven developer beta versions for the iOS 12. So, based on that, we are more than halfway into the iOS 13 testing cycle. The final version of iOS 13 will be out sometime in September.
