Hands-on with iOS 11 beta 2: DND While Driving and other new features, changes & fixes

Apple (somewhat surprisingly) dropped the second beta of iOS 11 to developers on Wednesday with a myriad of changes and bug fixes. While there doesn’t seem to be a huge number of user-facing enhancements, there are still quite a few notable changes and new features in this beta.

A large number of prominent bugs have been fixed that have been plaguing users, like crashing when deleting a voicemail, manual screen brightness not staying set, 3D Touch on phone numbers and addresses not working.

Unfortunately, with all of those bug fixes are several new bugs and known issues.

For instance, an SOS alert may still be sent even though the user cancelled it. This is a good reminder this is an early developer beta that should only be run on secondary devices.

As for the new features, we have the initial implementation of the much touted Do Not Disturb While Driving mode that will lock your phone as well as send a custom auto-reply (customizable in Settings → Do Not Disturb) should someone text you.

Control Center can now be disabled inside of applications, like on prior iOS editions. And far from last, the Files app now has started to show external locations like Google Drive and Box.

New features and changes

This is what you probably wanted to know about iOS 11 beta 2.

  • CarPlay now has lane guidance in Maps
  • Smaller speed in Maps
  • To edit/add filters in Photos you now tap the edit button in the top right corner instead of the sliders icon
  • Now Playing widget has been tweaked
  • New phone placeholder icon when no album artwork present in Now Playing widget
  • Audio source switcher is now available on Lock screen
  • New orange color for the new Echo effect in Messages
  • Do Not Disturb While Driving is enabled with extra options in Settings
  • Control Center can be turned on or off while in apps
  • New search options within Apple Music
  • You can now select multiple items in Photos
  • Bluetooth widget now works the same as Wi-Fi: instead of turning off, it will just disconnect from whatever is connected to it
  • Notification Center pull down has a gradual blur
  • New Share sheet extension: Save to Files app
  • Safari has new experimental features in Settings
  • Dictation is now available in Hindi
  • New options in Settings to make notification banners permanent or permanent
  • Built-in screen recorder boosts video capture resolution to 1080p

Take a look at our hands-on video to see all of these new features and more in action.

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And here’s a quick overview of the most important fixes.

Bug fixes

  • 3D Touch data detectors are now working for phone numbers, addresses, etc.
  • Screen brightness stays at set level
  • YouTube search bar has returned
  • More stable Bluetooth connections (Dexcom)
  • Android Migration now works as intended
  • Crashing when deleting voicemails is fixed
  • Lock screen no longer rotates
  • Long exposure photos are now higher quality than in first beta

Wrapping it all up

As we conclude our tour of all the changes, fixes, improvements and new features in iOS 11 beta 2, feel free to tell us about your own discoveries and observations in comments or via tips@iDownloadBlog.com.

What’s your favorite change in iOS 11 beta 2 thus far, and why?