Apple seeds iOS 17 developer beta 4! Check new features coming to iPhone

The latest iOS 17 developer beta 4 update has now been rolled out and it brings several new features to iPhones. Check out what’s new.

iOS 17 developer beta 4 can be downloaded now. (HT Tech)

Since the unveiling of iOS 17 at WWDC 2023, Apple has seeded multiple betas of the same to registered developers. This gives them a chance to try out all the new features and report bugs to the company before the update is released to the public. iOS 17 developer beta 3 was rolled out earlier this month, and it brought new features such as changes to the Photos app, in-depth credit information in Apple Music, and more. Now, the Cupertino-based tech giant has seeded the fourth developer beta of iOS 17.

About iOS 17 developer beta

Before this year, the developer beta updates were chargeable and Apple charged a $99 per year fee for the registered developer accounts. However, it has shaken things up this year, and users can now try the iOS 17 developer betas for free.

What's new

While iOS 17 developer beta 4 does not have any ground-breaking features, it brings a few incremental improvements. As per a 9to5Mac report, iOS 17 developer beta 4 has removed the Photo Stream feature, after last week's announcement that Apple was shutting the service down. Moreover, the icons and their layout in the Messages app have been tweaked. The fourth developer beta update also brings a new option in Settings to disable AirDrop transfer by bringing two Apple devices closer.

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The report further states that one more change was spotted by UI designer Hidde Collee on X where a new button design in the TV app was present. Collee also noticed a new AirPlay animation picker in the iOS 17 developer beta 4.

Other updates

Alongside iOS 17 developer beta 4, Apple has also seeded the fourth betas of iPadOS 17, macOS 14 Sonoma, watchOS 10, and tvOS 17 for its devices. Interestingly, this rollout has coincided with the release of the second beta of visionOS, although the Apple Vision Pro kits still haven't reached the developers.

Why beta updates?

Apple periodically pushes out new updates for its devices to improve the user experience with bug fixes, refinement, and new features. But before new updates are released to the public, they are first rolled out to the developer community who test the new features for any bugs or glitches. Additionally, the developers also determine the update's effect on battery life, app functionality, and whether it breaks any major features on the device.