Hands-on with iOS 11 beta 5: icon changes, Control Center tweaks & more

Apple yesterday released a fifth beta of iOS 11 for developer testing, and we’re expecting its matching public beta to drop later today.

We’re still a few weeks away from iOS 11’s public launch in the fall so we’re not surprised that Apple has been busy squashing bugs and smoothing out the rough edges in the software.

For instance, the ability for the Messages app to sync your chats across devices through iCloud has been temporarily removed from beta 5.

Several stock app icons have been redesigned slightly and iOS 11’s much-improved Control Center continues to be refined with functional changes and visual tweaks.

Without further ado, here’s everything new in iOS 11 beta 5.

Hands-on with iOS 11 beta 5

Watch Andrew’s hands-on video covering all the changes in iOS 11 beta 5.

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Aside from the outward-facing changes and important under-the-hood enhancements, iOS 11 beta 5 packs in a bunch of bug fixes listed in Apple’s official release notes.

iOS 11 beta 5 changes and improvements

Here’s the full list of changes in iOS 11 beta 5 covered in the video.

Messages

  • Messages in iCloud is unsupported in this beta, will be coming back later

Camera

  • New Portrait mode splash screen on iPhone 7 Plus

Icon tweaks

  • Two horizontal lines have been removed from the Camera app icon
  • The Settings app icon has been slightly darkened

Control Center

  • New icon on the Music widget to quickly change audio sources
  • Animates as well when devices are near
  • New text displays when activating toggles

Home screen and Notification Center

  • White dots instead of black for PIN or custom passcode
  • iOS music player now displays Device – Artist – Album
  • New slide-to-clear/open animation
  • Swiping “Open” from an alert launches the app now

Files app

  • You can finally save files locally on the Files app, but only in the folders that already exist as the app still lacks the option to create new folders.

Miscellaneous

  • Splash screens explaining iOS 11’s new iPad-only features
  • Limited Health data sharing (opt-in)
  • Background App Refresh toggle for Wi-Fi or Wi-Fi and Cellular
  • Generic Artist icon updated in the Music app
  • Folder names slowly fade in
  • When enabling the Smart Invert accessibility option, the screen goes grey for a moment
  • Horizontal View is fixed for many devices
  • New FaceTime ringing tone
  • Slight change to the animation when iPhone is raised
  • Quintuple click power key to call emergency services

What’s your favorite enhancement in this beta?

Are there any other tweaks or changes that Andrew’s video doesn’t cover? Let us know in the comments section below or shoot us a message at tips@iDownloadBlog.com and we’ll be making sure to update the article as new information becomes available.