Apple Launches First Public Betas For iOS 10 And macOS Sierra

True to its word, Apple is today providing the public with the first betas of iOS 10 and macOS Sierra. Both are based the respective Beta 2 dev branch builds of the operating systems, which were released earlier this week.

macOS Sierra introduces a number of new features including the first appearance of Siri for Macs, a universal clipboard for copy/paste between iOS and Macs, Picture in Picture support, Apple Pay, and the ability to unlock your Mac using your Apple Watch. iOS 10 brings a new Home app (hub for home automation), redesigned News and Apple Music apps, a more powerful Messages app with “emojification”, Siri intelligence for QuickType, Phone app integration for third-party VoIP apps like Skype and Facebook Messenger, and new privacy features.

Signing up to test drive the new operating systems is as simple as joining the free Apple Beta Software Program. For macOS Sierra, Apple provides you with a redemption code which allows you to download the software straight from the Mac App Store. If you’re rocking an iPhone or iPad, you’ll have to visit beta.apple.com/profile, where you’ll be able to download a configuration file that will put your device on the public beta Software Update track.

In either case, Apple highly recommends backing up your device before proceeding and that you don’t install the software on your primary machine.