Apple publishes beta 3 for iOS 17.2 and other platforms, visionOS gets beta 6

New round of beta versions is available for developers. Beta 3 is published for iOS/iPadOS 17.2, macOS Sonoma 14.2, watchOS 10.2 and tvOS 17.2. Xcode 15.1 beta 3 is also available with visionOS 1.0 beta 6 runtime and simulator.

Apple also readies RC for previous major releases – macOS Monterey 12.7.2 and macOS Ventura 13.6.

Beta download: Operating Systems

Release notes:

References:

Apple launches Release Candidate for iOS 17.1 and other platforms

Apple published Release Candidates for iOS/iPadOS 17.1, macOS Sonoma 14.1, watchOS 10.1 and tvOS 17.1. Also, Release Candidate is published for iOS/iPadOS 16.7.2 with focus on security fixes.

iOS 17.1 should address ScreenTime syncing issues reported earlier. Also, it targets display retention reported on some iPhone 15 models. Significant location setting bug should be resolved too. But RC seem not to fix nighttime restart issue reported by some users.

Apple also made changes to onscreen keyboard to improve its performance (especially on older models).

HomePod software should bring enhanced dialogue feature to original HomePod and HomePod mini.

Beta download: Operating Systems

Apple did not add release notes to this Release Candidate yet.

Reference:

Xcode 15 Release Candidate now could be used to submit iOS 17 apps

Apple starts accepting App Store application for iOS/iPadOS 17, watchOS 10 and tvOS 17. Apps should be built with Xcode 15 Release Candidate.

Xcode 15 release is expected on September 18 together with OS releases.

Starting in April 2024, apps submitted to the App Store must be built with Xcode 15 and the iOS 17 SDK, tvOS 17 SDK, or watchOS 10 SDK (or later).

Apple Developer

Apple Developer: App Store submissions now open for the latest OS releases

Wonderlust event recap – new iPhones, Apple Watches

Apple hosted its Wonderlust special event. As expected, Apple unveiled new iPhones and Apple Watch models.

Apple Watch Series 9

New Apple Watch Series 9 gets new S9 system-on-chip with updated CPU and GPU. New screen now has brightness up to 1,000 nits. And lowest brightness is now 1 nit. S9 allows on-device Siri recognition for many use cases.

New "double tap" hand gesture (similar to previously implemented accessibility features) allows one hand responses and actions to be performed on Apple Watch.

New UWB chip will improve Apple Watch spatial awareness, allowing, for example, precise iPhone lookup with directions and distance display.

Apple Watch Ultra 2

Ultra 2 gets same S9 system-on-chip, screen is improved to have 3,000 nits maximum brightness.

iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus

iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus are powered by A16 chip introduced in iPhone 14 Pro models.

iPhone 15 models now gain Dynamic Island. Charging port is now changed to USB-C with USB 2.0 data transfer speeds.

Also, iPhone 15 main camera is now similar to iPhone 14 Pro with 48MP resolution.

iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max

iPhone 15 Pro is running on A17 PRO chip. iPhone 15 Pro has titanium frame to reduce weight. Mute switch is replaced by Action button. iPhone 15 Pro Max has 5x camera with pentaprism design. USCB-C connector in iPhone 15 Pro supports USB 3.0.

Also iPhone 15 Pro could record spatial videos that will provide depth when viewing in Apple Vision Pro.

iPhone 15 Pro Max now has base model with 256GB of storage.

iCloud Storage Tiers

Apple introduces new iCloud storage tiers – 6TB and 12TB available for purchase later priced $30 and $60 respectively.

FineWoven

Apple now replaces leather accessories with new FineWoven material. This includes Apple Watch bands as well as iPhone cases.

OS Updates

Release Candidates are now available for iOS/iPadOS 17, macOS 14 Sonoma, watchOS 10 and tvOS 17. As well as iOS and iPadOS 16.7. Xcode 15 is also available as Release Candidate.

iOS/iPadOS 17, watchOS 10 and tvOS 17 are to be released on September 18. macOS 14 Sonoma will be released on September 26.

You could watch event replay on YouTube.

Apple Newsroom:

Release notes:

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Xcode 14.3.1 RC is published

This Release Candidate seems to be bug fixing related. No significant new features are reported for this version.

Xcode 14.3.1 RC includes Swift 5.8.1 and SDKs for iOS 16.4, iPadOS 16.4, tvOS 16.4, watchOS 9.4, and macOS Ventura 13.3. The Xcode 14.3.1 RC release supports on-device debugging in iOS 11 and later, tvOS 11 and later, and watchOS 4 and later. Xcode 14.3.1 RC requires a Mac running macOS Ventura 13.0 or later.

Release notes

Beta download: Applications

Release notes: Xcode 14.3.1 RC Release Notes