iOS 6 Beta 2 roundup: Here’s what’s new

Mike Beasley | Jun 25 2012 - 12:00 pm PT

Earlier today, Apple released a new iOS 6 beta to developers, introducing the usual “bug fixes and improvements”. Below is a list of all the new buttons and changes we’ve found so far. If you happen to spot any more, send them our way at tips@9to5mac.com.

The first thing you’ll see when installing beta 2 is actually a change that was technically made in beta 1: when installing an OTA update, the cogs in the Settings icon on the Software Update page spin (not the ones on the actual home screen, though).

Check out even more changes after the break.

One of the bigger changes in the new beta is the inclusion of a toggle to control whether or not you can use iOS 6’s new Shared Photo Streams feature. The toggle is in both the Photos settings page and the iCloud settings.

Apple also jumped on board with the new Twitter icon systemwide, showing us what the new Twitter for iPhone icon will look like even before Twitter released the update.

Speaking of Twitter, iPhone 4S users will find that the TweetSheet inside the Siri UI has been slightly redesigned, although the change has not yet made its way to the rest of the TweetSheets in this update.

[tweet http://twitter.com/matthewmspace/status/217327468263124993]

One little change was made to the Cellular settings page, which now has a toggle for syncing Reading List over 3G below the iCloud Documents and iTunes switches. Previously the only place to change the Reading List option was in the Safari settings.

And for those of you who are curious, @iH8sn0w has discovered that beta 2 expires on July 31st (which is the same day Apple shuts down iWork.com).

[tweet http://twitter.com/iH8sn0w/status/217334105975697408]

Calendar items in Notification Center now show ending times and dates like the Mountain Lion Notification Center does.

Guided Access is now working in beta 2. Unfortunately, screenshots aren’t possible in Guided Access mode, but here are some photos of it in action. Guided Access stops the Home button from working and locks the device into whatever app it is currently running, essentially functioning as a “kiosk mode” similar to the one used on Smart Signs at Apple Retail Store. It also allows the user to disable any portion of the screen that they don’t want others messing with, or disable the touchscreen and motion sensors entirely while in Guided Access mode. (Update: we’ve got a video of this feature in action now. Thanks Nate!)

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lke9av1Jq-M&w=640&h=360]

The Smart Banners covered at the iOS 6 keynote are functional in beta 2, allowing websites to display a banner at the top of the screen prompting you to download their app.

Passbook’s splash screen now has more information on what kinds of passes you can use with it.

Although Shared Photo Streams did exist in beta 1, there is a new button for creating them, which changes the method of creating them a little bit. Below is a video of the new workflow in action.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kE0RgqIXNJQ&w=640&h=360]

The new update adds “Wi-Fi Networking” to the list of system services that can access your location in the privacy tab.

[tweet https://twitter.com/BeauGiles/statuses/217398058797899778]

The Usage settings page now groups your Camera and Photos app data together and includes a breakdown of how the data is divided up.

[tweet https://twitter.com/ikahn6294/status/217436959725985792]

[tweet https://twitter.com/ikahn6294/status/217437006685421569]

The Maps application also now automatically offers you directions from your current location to your home when you tap the search bar, making it easier to get back home without having to dig through your contacts to find your own address, or manually type it in.

[tweet https://twitter.com/ikahn6294/status/217439682877865985]

The 3G toggle is back once again for iPhone 4 users, although it is still absent in the iPhone 4S.

Photos now shows a button to create a new album all the time. Previously you would have to create an album by selecting photos and pressing “Add to new album”.

[tweet https://twitter.com/keegandonley/status/217489433627336704]

Continue sending us anything you notice and we’ll update.