Apple Releases iOS 14.6 Beta 1 for iPhone

Apple released the first beta for iOS 14.6 today, Thursday, April 22. The new beta (build number 18F5046e) comes just two days after Apple's spring event, as well as the iOS 14.5 RC, and features an easy way for beta testers to update to the latest beta software when running an RC.

Apple released this update just before 1:30 p.m. PDT, an unusual time for developer beta releases. They followed up that release with iOS 14.6 public beta 1 the next day.

The first new feature we see comes from Apple's release notes — when you're running an RC, like iOS 14.5 RC, you can choose to update to the next available beta, like iOS 14.6, or remove the beta profile altogether, and stay on the stable version of iOS.

What's a bit confusing here is that this feature appears on iPhones running the iOS 14.5 RC, as you can see in the screenshot below the release notes. That makes this "14.6" feature really seem like its part of 14.5.

iOS & iPadOS 14.6 Beta 1 Release Notes

Overview

• The iOS & iPadOS 14.6 SDK provides support to develop apps for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch devices running iOS & iPadOS 14.6 beta. The SDK comes bundled with Xcode 12.5 RC, available from Beta Software Downloads. For information on the compatibility requirements for Xcode 12.5, see Xcode 12.5 RC Release Notes.

SKAdNetwork: New Features

• Devices can now send install-validation postbacks to multiple ad networks that sign their ads using SKAdNetwork version 3.0. One ad network receives a postback with a did-win parameter value of true for the ad impression that wins the ad attribution. Up to five other ad networks receive a postback with a did-win value of false if their ad impressions qualified for, but didn't win, the attribution. (72917087)

Software Update: New Features

• You can now directly update your iOS or iPadOS device to the latest Release Candidate without removing the beta profile. After updating to the Release Candidate, you can choose to update to the next available beta or uninstall the profile to remove your device from the beta program. (66256273)

Xcode: Deprecations

• Don't use the iOS MinimumOSVersion information property list key to declare the minimum release of macOS in which your app runs. Use LSMinimumSystemVersion instead. (73890473)
• Future releases of macOS ignore the MinimumOSVersion key in Mac apps, including apps built with Mac Catalyst.
• Future releases of macOS use the LSMinimumSystemVersion key in iOS apps built with Xcode 12.5 or later. If an iOS app doesn't include an LSMinimumSystemVersion key, future releases of macOS compare the app's MinimumOSVersion with the version of its Mac Catalyst runtime to determine compatibility.

How to Download & Install the Latest iOS Beta on Your iPhone

You'll need an Apple developer account to update your iPhone. You can get the restore image from your dev portal, then install it with iTunes or Finder. Otherwise, install the configuration profile, then update by going to Settings –> General –> Software Update. Finally, you can simply wait for it to auto-install if you have a dev profile and "Automatic Updates" is enabled.

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Cover image by Apple