While some of us thought Apple might pass on a new beta update in favor of an official release, it appears iOS 13.3.1 is here to stay in beta testing. This time, it didn’t take four weeks to get here. The third public beta for 13.3.1 is now available, eight days after the release of public beta 2.
Apple released public beta 3 at 4 p.m. EST (1 p.m. PST) today, Wednesday, Jan. 22, three hours after seeding dev beta 3 to developers. If you’re a public tester, you’ll know that the dev beta is exclusively for developers, as you need a developer beta profile to download and install the update to your device. Public betas, on the other hand, are open to anyone with a compatible iPhone, but usually come out three hours after the developer beta.
You might not find that three-hour wait to be worth it for this update. Since dev beta 3 came out before public beta 3, we already got a chance to check for any new features or changes. The verdict? There’s not much to say. There are no surface-level changes for us to report at this time. Even Apple’s release notes only mention one developer-exclusive issue, although that is a step up from the empty release notes we received for the first and second 13.3.1 betas.
iOS & iPadOS 13.3.1 Beta 3 Release Notes
Overview
The iOS & iPadOS 13.3.1 SDK provides support for developing apps for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch devices running iOS & iPadOS 13.3.1. The SDK comes bundled with Xcode 11.3 available from the Mac App Store. For information on the compatibility requirements for Xcode 11.3, see Xcode 11.3 Release Notes.
General
UI tests using the XCTest framework are currently unable to interact with embedded web views (UIWebView, WKWebView, SFSafariViewController and ASWebAuthenticationSession) inside of apps. (58576627)
Something could come up eventually, though. Beta 2 appeared to be a nothing-update as well, until Brandon Butch uncovered a new option to disable location services for the UWB chip found in the iPhone 11, 11 Pro, and 11 Pro Max — three full days after Apple released the update.
To download and install iOS 13.3.1 public beta 3, sign up through Apple’s beta site, download and install the configuration profile, then update over the air. If you already have the profile, go to Settings –> General –> Software Update to begin the installation of the latest beta build, or you can wait until it installs automatically if “Automatic Updates” is enabled.
Just updated your iPhone? You’ll find new emoji, enhanced security, podcast transcripts, Apple Cash virtual numbers, and other useful features. There are even new additions hidden within Safari. Find out what’s new and changed on your iPhone with the iOS 17.4 update.
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