I swear, it was right here a second ago.
Anthony KarczJust as soon as I declared iOS 12.1.3 over and done with, Apple went and proved me wrong, releasing iOS 12.1.3 Public Beta 4 in the same week they released Public Beta 3. My guess is that there was some crucial bug fixed that needed immediate testing or the public release is happening very, very soon.
So why am I only writing about this on Monday?
Because something happened to my iOS 12.1.3 build that I didn't even realize could happen. Ever since iOS 12.1.3 Public Beta 2, I've not been receiving over the air (OTA) updates of the latest betas. Remember how I blamed a rogue Automatic Update switch for not receiving Public Beta 3 (build 16D5037a)? When I checked my build number (under About), I discovered my installed build was 16D5032a from way back in December!
I double checked to make sure my beta profile was installed properly and, sure enough, it had vanished! In fact, the entire Profile setting had disappeared from my settings (which is normal, if you don't have a profile installed).
Where did my Public Beta profile go? I have no clue. Luckily, it was easy to get a new one. I logged in to my Apple Beta Software Program account from my iPhone, and downloaded a fresh profile for my device. One reboot later and I was a quick General > Software Update away from installing iOS 12.1.3 Public Beta 4.
What's Fixed?
I'm glad this happened for two reasons.
One: it shows that weird things can always happen when you're beta testing. It doesn't matter if it's your first beta or if you've been doing it for years. That's why you should always test on a secondary device. You never know when your entire iOS install will go sideways.
Second: it gave me something to write about. Because if you said "ECG and iPad audio, something, something…" in response to this section header, you'd be right. Apple's official release notes haven't budged since the release of iOS 12.1.3 Public Beta 2.
What's Next?
Honestly, my disappearing profile drama was the most interesting thing to happen in this entire beta cycle. iOS 12.1.3 has addressed minor bugs and nothing more. It's only because of the holiday delay that it hasn't been released to the public yet.
That said, I'd expect a public release sometime soon this week, to be followed close behind by iOS 12.1.4.
Let's just hope my beta profile sticks around for it.
