Apple Launches First Public Betas For iOS 10 And macOS Sierra

by Brandon Hill — Thursday, July 07, 2016, 02:30 PM EDT

It’s been nearly a month since Apple first announced iOS 10 for its mobile devices (iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, etc.) and macOS Sierra for desktops and notebooks. Developers were given immediate access to the first beta of each operating system (along with a beta of watchOS 3) at WWDC, and Apple promised that the general public would gain access to the software later in the summer.

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.

Tags: Apple, (NASDAQ:AAPL), ios 10, macos sierra

Brandon Hill

Brandon received his first PC, an IBM Aptiva 310, in 1994 and hasn’t looked back since. He cut his teeth on computer building/repair working at a mom and pop computer shop as a plucky teen in the mid 90s and went on to join AnandTech as the Senior News Editor in 1999. Brandon would later help to form DailyTech where he served as Editor-in-Chief from 2008 until 2014. Brandon is a tech geek at heart, and family members always know where to turn when they need free tech support. When he isn’t writing about the tech hardware or studying up on the latest in mobile gadgets, you’ll find him browsing forums that cater to his long-running passion: automobiles.

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