Apple Will Let Users Test iOS Beta Versions For the First Time

9to5 Mac reports that In an effort to eliminate bugs from upcoming iOS versions ahead of their general releases, Apple plans to launch the first-ever public beta program for the iOS operating system, according to multiple people briefed on the plans. Following the successful launch of the OS X Public Beta program with OS X Yosemite last year, Apple intends to release the upcoming iOS 8.3 as a public beta via the company’s existing AppleSeed program in mid-March, according to the sources. The article goes on to say Like the early iOS 8 developers builds, the public betas will include a dedicated app that allows users to report bugs to Apple. The main goal of the iOS beta program will be a more reliable and widely tested operating system by the time of the wider consumer launch, as Apple has come under fire for lack of quality control in iOS 8. Launching public beta versions of iOS will also reduce the demand for unauthorized sales of beta downloads from developer accounts, which enabled some consumers to test-drive future iOS features.

Comments

Re:Gonna lose some money

[ZorinLynx]

The $99 for the developer account (which is peanuts to Apple) isn't about income. It's about controlling access to the platform.

If developer accounts were free, anyone who wanted to sideload apps would join the program and just do so. The $99/year fee is enough to discourage people from doing this.

I have access to a developer account through work, and have sideloaded iMAME and a few other emulators using it. You can sign any app bundle you want and put it on your phone without having to go through the App Store.

Access to iOS betas does not allow one to receive provisioning profiles, so the reason for the $99 charge is gone.