Released: iOS 12 Dev Beta 3 (Public Beta 2), Includes Improved Maps, Bug Fixes & Security Patches

Apple released the third beta of iOS 12 for developers on Tuesday, July 3. The update comes exactly two weeks after the release of the second developer beta, which introduced a variety of fixes as well as new issues, and just one week after the release of the public beta. Public beta testers received this iOS 12 update on Thursday, July 5, labeled as public beta 2.

Beta 3 (or 2, if you're on the public beta) appears to include many bug fixes and security patches, but most notably includes Apple's new Maps features. According to TechCrunch, the Google Maps competitor now uses data from Apple directly, rather than third-party companies. Users should expect to see better directions as well as more detailed maps, but only in San Francisco and the Bay Area to start out with, since that's where it's launching first. However, only time will tell if the features live up to Apple's expectations.

If you want to update your iPhone to the third dev beta of iOS 12, or the second public beta, you need to be a registered developer or public beta tester with a valid configuration profile. If you have "Automatic Updates" enabled, you can wait for the software to update overnight. To download it right now, however, open the Settings app, select "General," then "Software Update." Then, tap "Download and Install," and follow the on-screen prompts.

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Resolved Issues

The following includes problems fixed by Apple, according to iOS 12's release notes:

General:

• Updating from iOS 10.2 and earlier to iOS 12 beta via iTunes is not supported. (41215257)
• The Weather widget isn't functional in iOS 12 beta 2. (41096139)
• Universal Links might not open the expected target app. (40568385)

Third-Party Apps:

• Taobao might unexpectedly quit on launch. (40958373)
• Twitter might display a blank login screen. (40910390)
• Skype might unexpectedly quit after logging in. (39666451)

Accessibility:

• Notification action buttons might become illegible when Increase Contrast settings are enabled. (41050794)

AirPods:

• Playback might not pause when only one of the AirPods is removed from your ears. (40824029)

ARKit:

• Certain USDZ models loaded in Safari might not render thumbnail images. (40252307)

AuthenticationServices:

• Logging into an account in ASWebAuthenticationSession or SFAuthenticationSession doesn't immediately make the login cookies available in Safari. (33221110)

CallKit:

• SMS and Phone Call spam classification extensions don't load and display a black screen. (41018290)
• To enable CallKit extensions, it might be necessary to quit and relaunch Phone, Messages, or Settings apps. (39548788, 39885031)

CarPlay:

• CarPlay might not connect to certain vehicles. (40494430)

iWork:

• The navigation button isn't present in the Share Options sheet while using the Add People feature. (40368764)

Phone and FaceTime:

• FaceTime might unexpectedly quit on launch. (41189126)
• Some FaceTime video calls might be interrupted by a 'poor connection' message. (41033989)
• If a user attempts to enable a SIM PIN the iOS device will lose cellular service. (40958280)
• Automatic enlargement of the speaker's tile during a Group FaceTime call is not enabled while using external headphones. (40615683)
• Voicemail notifications might be inconsistent and not appear when the device is locked. (39826861)

Screen Time:

• When Family Sharing is enabled for an iCloud account, only family members designated Parent/Guardian may disable Screen Time on their device.
• To enable a Restrictions Passcode on a Child device where the Child has enabled Screen Time, the Parent/Guardian must first disable Screen Time on the Child device and reenable Screen Time from the Parent/Guardian device.
• When 'Ask For More' is enabled on a Child device, entering the passcode on the Child device to approve more time still results in a prompt on the Parent/Guardian device.
• When 'Ask For More' is not enabled on a Child device, tapping 'Ignore Limit' prompts for the Screen Time passcode. (41060009)
• If a Child account wishes not to share Screen Time usage with Parent/Guardian accounts, they should either become a Parent/Guardian or leave the iCloud family. (40675329)

Siri:

• When Siri's language is set to Chinese, Japanese, or Korean it isn't possible to set up "Hey Siri". (41188020)
• When a user connects a playback device such as headphones, the Media Player UI might not display artwork. (40989415)
• When recording a custom Shortcuts phrase, the user might not be able to tap Done to save the Shortcut. (40862775)
• Shortcuts donated with images created using the +[INImage imageWithURL :] API won't display an image. (40623457)
• Messages might not launch when tapping on message content. (39941268)

Known Issues

New issues are listed in bold below:

Third-Party Apps:

• Fortnite might unexpectedly quit during use. (41617672)
• Netflix might unexpectedly quit when downloading a video. (40653033)

Activity:

• The route map for a workout might be unavailable. (40008565)

ARKit:

• ARReferenceObject and ARWorldMap data generated using iOS 12 beta 2 or earlier isn't compatible with beta 3 or later. Please rescan your objects to generate new ARReferenceObject and ARWorldMap data. (41489820)

Calendar:

• While in Day view, an event might appear on an unexpected date. (40586853) — Workaround: Switch to Week or Month view then back to Day view. Alternatively, quit and relaunch Calendar.

CoreGraphics:

• Various CoreGraphics calls have been hardened against continuing with invalid parameters. In iOS 12 beta, these calls may now return NULL or return early. (38344690)

CoreML:

• When layers are quantized <8-bits or with a lookup-table, users may encounter issues in deconvolution and recurrent layers. (40632252) — Workaround: Use only linear 8-bit quantization on these layers.
• Models with flexible input sizes may unexpectedly reject an input using the default size displayed in Xcode's type field. (40632323) — Workaround: Supply a non-default size input on first prediction call.

HomeKit:

• Inviting iOS 11 users who have multiple email addresses associated with their Apple ID to a home might not succeed. (41033550) — Workaround: Send the invitation to a different email address or phone number associated with the Apple ID of the iOS 11 user.

Localization:

• Certain languages may exhibit clipped or misaligned layout. (40420329)
• Certain languages may display unlocalized text. (40420422)

MediaPlayer Framework:

• WhenaqueueTransactionisperformedonapplicationQueuePlayertomodify the position of a song, the queue returns unchanged. (39401344)
• A song cannot be added to a playlist using the addItemWithProductID API. (40508800)

Phone and FaceTime:

• A "No SIM" notification might be displayed when restarting iPad if an Apple SIM is inserted with no active data plan. (41138762)
• Your device might not register for iMessage and FaceTime using your phone number. (41374914) — Workaround: Restart your device.
• Your device's phone number might not be displayed in Phone > Contacts. (41459488)
• The Cellular Data section in Settings > Cellular might refresh continuously. (41587310)
• Group FaceTime calls cannot be initiated between iOS 12 beta 3 and the first iOS 12 beta release. (39873802) — Workaround: Users should update to iOS 12 beta 3.
• iPod touch (6th generation), iPhone 5s, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPad mini 2, iPad mini 3, and iPad Air support only audio (no video) during Group FaceTime calls in iOS 12 beta.
• In iOS 12 beta, Camera Effects in Messages is available only on iPhone SE and iPhone 6s or later and is unavailable on iPad. Camera Effects in FaceTime is available only on iPhone 7 or later and is unavailable on iPad.
• Wi-Fi calls might end unexpectedly when transitioning from Wi-Fi to cellular while on the T-Mobile network. (39251828)

Safari & Webkit:

• Viewing Wallet passes in SFSafariViewController might be unavailable. (40415649) — Workaround: View the pass in Safari.

Screen Time:

• Screen Time data might not synchronize across iOS devices. (41548198)
• "Picked Up Phone" statistics might be inflated due to data syncing from other devices signed into the same iCloud account. (39917173)
• Screen Time website usage for a child won't be displayed on the parent's device, but can be read on the child's device. (40218447)
• The default Always Allowed apps won't be allowed in Downtime until after tapping Settings > Screen Time > Always Allowed to refresh the list of apps. (40320173)
• Use only numbers when creating a Screen Time passcode or it might become impossible to enter the passcode. (40671666)

Siri:

• When handling an intent from Siri using the application:continueUserActivity:restorationHandler: method, the interaction object on userActivity won't have an intent response. (41383282)
• Adding shortcuts to Siri might fail for shortcuts with images in PDF format. (40395673) — Workaround: Use another image format.
• In Swift, the shortcut property of INVoiceShortcut must be accessed as _ _shortcut. (40418400)
• Siri Suggestions for Shortcuts are enabled on iPhone 6s or later, iPad Pro, iPad (5th generation or later), iPad Air 2, and iPad mini 4. (40669231)

Spotlight:

• When searching via Spotlight, internet results might unexpectedly be ranked higher than local results. (41562287)

Voice Memos:

• Voice Memos don't sync to iTunes. (40346169)

Wallet:

• Wallet might unexpectedly quit on launch. (41603255) — Workaround: Use the application switcher to quit Wallet then try launching it again.

Although still in the early stages of beta, iOS 12 has earned itself a positive reputation. While it may seem odd at first glance, users overlook the short list of new features as well as the long list of bugs, mostly because of its superiority in performance when compared to iOS 11.

In fact, Apple's previous effort was received poorly almost from the beginning. Users complained about the overhauled notification system but complained even louder once bugs began to wreak havoc. From auto-correct glitches to out of order iMessages, iOS 11 and bugs seemed to go hand-in-hand.

Stability isn't the only thing that's new in iOS 12, however. Although Apple placed a lot of focus on the overall iOS experience, users can expect to see new Animoji for iPhone X, notification grouping, a special weather widget for the lock screen, among at least 47 other new features. Make sure to check out our guide below to see everything new in iOS 12.

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Cover image and screenshots by Jake Peterson/Gadget Hacks