Oh my, they’re working flat out in Cupertino. This week there have been updates to the beta versions of iOS 11, macOS High Sierrra, watchOS 4 and tvOS 11.
If you’re a developer, you’ll be updating to it already but for the rest of us, it offers a guide as to the direction of travel of Apple software. This update is only one week after the last so you won’t be surprised to learn it’s full of bug fixes, including one that addresses an issue in the last beta which caused it to stall indefinitely apparently.
So developers wanting to update to the latest beta should find this an easier journey.
So what’s changed?
On the surface, not that much. After all, in just seven days or so, urgent bug fixes are going to be the priority, especially if some users were finding update issues, though these didn’t apply to everyone.
There’s that one brilliant improvement I hinted at: some developers are reporting a great extra – that Apple Watch battery life has gone up by an hour since they updated to the latest software. Apple Watch battery life has bettered expectations since day one and easily lasts a full day. I have literally never finished the day with less than 20% charge. While it doesn't match a dedicated fitness tracker, it's better than most comparable rivals.
What else? Well, those adorable Toy Story characters in their own Watch face are all still there, unchanged and silent as before, unlike Mickey Mouse who, some users reported, didn’t announce the time when you pressed on the screen in beta 3. Now he does, with that blithe chirpiness you might expect from him.
A note about Minnie: some commenters have said they couldn’t find her in the latest beta versions. That’s because she’s to be found by customizing the Mickey Mouse face. This is a mechanic that’s been in place in previous versions of watchOS but has proved elusive for some. Note that in the latest beta, Minnie doesn’t talk for some users, but does for others. Probably it’s a bug, or maybe she only talks if she feels like it, gosh darn it – which is the option I choose to believe. As I type this, she’s just piped up after several minutes of refusing to talk, so maybe there’s something in this…
Other Watch face changes in beta 4 include more jellyfish in the Motion watch face. Personally, I’ve always found them so real they’re a bit scary, but they’re certainly beautifully done.
The interface has been improved. As you know, the cards showing the recent apps are scrolled up and down screen using the Digital Crown in watchOS 4. The latest version is super-smooth and responsive and you can eject an unwanted recent app from the dock (after all, it has limited space) by swiping left and clicking Remove.
In the News app on your Watch, you can scroll through 15 news stories by turning the digital crown, where previously there were only five stories on offer.
On top of the animations to celebrate closing your Activity exercise ring, new Siri icon and other updates found in beta 3, things are really settling down in watchOS.
It would have been great if Apple had released a public beta of watchOS, but in practical terms it’s tough to use is on a secondary device. But think of all that lovely time we could all have spent with those Toy Story characters...
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