Apple has begun rolling out the second developer beta for iOS 15. While beta 2 still isn’t ready for daily use, Apple has added a few welcome features (including SharePlay) to get iOS 15 ready for its public release in just a few months.
iOS 15 was unveiled on June 7 during WWDC, and while it may not be the most exciting update ever, it still looks to make the iPhone experience better all-around. Some of iOS 15’s highlights include revamped notifications, a new Focus mode to help users concentrate on certain tasks throughout the day, and a completely redesigned Weather app. It may not be as drastic of a change as iOS 14 was, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
Apple launched developer beta 1 for iOS 15 on that same June 7 date, and less than a month later, developer beta 2 is now available to download. It’s rolling out as an OTA update for anyone that’s already on developer beta 1, and for folks that haven’t jumped on the beta yet, it’s now the latest iOS 15 build they’ll get after registering for the program. Signing up for the iOS 15 developer beta is relatively easy, though it does require a payment of at least $99 to get an Apple developer account. As such, most iPhone owners are better off waiting for the free public beta to come out in July.
All The New Features In iOS 15 Developer Beta 2
For those running the iOS 15 developer beta for whatever reason, beta 2 includes a few big updates that are 100 percent worth checking out. For starters, SharePlay is now live. This feature allows people on a FaceTime call to simultaneously watch a movie or listen to a song together, with supported apps currently limited to Apple TV and Apple Music. Apple has confirmed third-party apps will be able to use SharePlay, so expect the feature to expand to other music/video services over the coming months. Also included in beta 2 are custom outfits for Memoji! Users can now equip their Memoji with various clothing and pick custom colors for all of the available options — making Memoji more personal than ever.
Other updates in iOS 15 developer beta 2 aren’t quite as exciting, though they’re still worth a quick mention. There’s now a new app icon for Apple Maps, Quick Note can be accessed on the iPad by swiping up from the bottom right corner, and there’s a welcome screen when opening Apple Weather for the first time that outlines all of the new features.
All of these features (and more) will be available whenever Apple launches the public iOS 15 beta next month, so keep an eye out for that in the weeks ahead. Between all of this and countless bug fixes Apple is likely making behind the scenes, iOS 15 is quickly coming into its own.
