iOS 14 Public Beta 3 Is A Buggy Look At Apple’s Best Operating System Yet - Forbes

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iOS 14 Public Beta 3

Anthony Karcz

The next round of iOS 14 testing is here. iOS 14 Public Beta 3 (not 2, because we're following the Developer Beta numbering) has been released for Public Beta program participants. You can download it via an OTA update by going to Settings > Software Update. 

A note: if you've set up your iOS device to install updates automatically, I'd highly recommend disabling that feature while you're beta testing. Unlike with normal, daily use, it's extremely important that you control how and when a beta update gets installed. iOS 14 updates have been (and will likely continue to be) rather large, so it takes a long time to install. There's also the possibility that a new bug has popped up that will kill your workflow, so you'll want to wait till the next release. 

The takeaway is, make sure you're paying attention when a beta release drops and install it manually. 

What's Broken

Since there are still more bugs in iOS 14 than anything else, I'm sticking with the "bugs first" approach. 

While it's not in the release notes as a bug, from personal testing I've noted that some Google apps have issues with iOS 14. I can't copy and paste text from Gmail and Google News generally crashes after a few seconds. Google Keyboard is also a bit buggy, but then it was in iOS 13 as well, so I shouldn't be surprised. 

The Vivint app flakes out a bit as well, mostly when trying to view my home's cameras, but I expected that. I was able to determine previous app issues I had were due to the iOS 13.6 beta. 

This is all to say, there will most definitely be third-party apps that you rely on that won't function. That's why the developers have early access, after all, to get their apps ready by iOS 14 public launch later this year. 

If you're OK with living with frustration for a while, backup your device to your computer (yes, you really need to do this, otherwise there's no way to restore your phone if it gets bricked), read the bug list below, and decide if Public Beta 3 is right for you.

Let's dive into the official release notes. 

• Don't expect a quick and easy installation. iOS 14 will take longer to install when coming from a previous OS. Carve out an hour or so and make sure your charger is handy. 
• In fact, iOS 14 is so big right now that you might not have enough room to run it. If your device updates, but isn't running iOS 14 when it restarts, you'll need to free up some space on your device, then try updating again.
• Oh, and if you're playing audio in iOS 14 you can't install an update. 

And that's just the bugs to get iOS 14 installed on your device. If you're not scared off yet, keep reading to make sure there are no deal-breaking bugs in the current build.

• Unless you're also beta testing macOS Big Sur on your Mac, you won't be able to sync your iOS 14 device. 
• iOS doesn't 3D touch itself - 3D Touch is temporarily unavailable (maybe pointing to future iPhone hardware changes)
• The Exposure Notification Health element that's used for contact tracing apps isn't available in iOS 14. You'll need to stick to iOS 13.6 for this.
• Fonts in your third-party apps may be wonky if they haven't started using the APIs introduced in iOS 13. 
• App Library section headers aren’t positioned as expected for right-to-left languages.
• Spotlight might not appear as expected. Restart your device to get it back to normal.
• Location Services might become unavailable. Turn it off and then on again in the Settings to reset. 
• In Mail, Mark Block Sender might switch itself off. You'll need to enable it again manually. 
• After updating, your Map user data such as Favorites, Collections, and Recents won't sync to devices running earlier versions of iOS and iPadOS.
• Automatic person height measurement isn’t available on iPad Pro 12.9-inch (4th generation) or iPad Pro 11-inch (2nd generation). 
• Automations might not run if they're scheduled back-to-back in Shortcuts.
• There's a bit of wonkiness with the new microphone indicator. If you see a little orange light next to the notch, it means your microphone is in use. Swipe over to the Control Center to see what's using the mic. Right now it'll indicate “Phone” is using the microphone for cell calls, but “System” for Wi-Fi calls. 
• If you search for “Timer” with Siri, then tap a suggestion to start said timer, it won't start. 
• If you're using a Bluetooth keyboard, the pen tools might activate. 
• A bunch of Widget bugs were fixed (see below), but even more have been added to the ones that remained. The quick actions menu might unexpectedly appear behind the widget overlay. Widget stacks might unexpectedly become unavailable. Some widgets might disappear from your Home Screen after updating. Widgets font size won't adjust automatically for different device sizes, aren’t blocked for Screen Time when their parent app is blocked, look weird on the lock screen, can't be resized, won't match the weather conditions in the Weather app, display Celsius instead of Farenheit, and may need to be completely reconfigured after upgrading. 

Keep in mind, these are just the bugs that Apple are currently reporting and working on. There are more, lots more, and it's your job to find them and report them using the Feedback app.

What's Fixed

As many bugs as there are, there's also a healthy round of fixed issues that have been fixed since Public Beta 2. It seems that Widgets are the buggiest of all the features in the new batch. That means they're also getting the most fixes. 

Usually when a flagship feature has this many issues, it'll get pushed back to the next public release, but considering Widgets is practically the defining feature for iOS 14, I don't think that’s an option for Apple. Expect to see lots of Widget bugs on both lists for the duration of the first beta. 

• "Hey Siri" is now recognized again while using Sound Recognition, Guided Access is occasionally back, and VoiceOver users can again answer calls with the new Banner display and are able to interact with the home screen after using the App Library. 
• Disabling Set Automatically feature for Location Services in Settings no longer makes it unavailable. 
• The EU Volume Limit will no longer inhibit the ability to increase headphone volume. 
• Your Medical ID now displays in the Apple Watch app. 
• On the Widget front: the Weather widget won't appear blank anymore, large widgets will animate correctly when tapping Edit Widget, Widgets won't appear unresponsive, and Stacks won't suddenly disappear. 
• On device translation will now work in the Translate app.
• Subscribing to channels through the TV app using iOS & iPadOS 14 beta or tvOS 14 beta is again supported.
• Siri will again be OK with Home automations that contain shortcuts.
• The “Learn More…” link in Settings > Privacy > Tracking is now available. 
• The “Allow Apps to Request to Track” preference in your Privacy settings will stay disabled.

What's New

I listed the majority of the new iOS 14 features in my Public Beta 2 article, so check that out if you need a refresher. From here on out, we'll just focus on the smaller tweaks and features that pop up for each release.  

• When you use Widgets for the first time a new popup message appears: “Press and hold a widget to reorganize them. In jiggle mode, tap the plus in the top left to add widget.”
• Another informational popup has been added when you edit your home screen for the first time: “Hide unorganized home screen pages by tapping the page dots.”
• New Clock app widgets have been added. 
• The Music app has a new icon.
• You can now share Apple Music songs, albums, and playlists to Snapchat Stories.
• The Music app widget now features a colorful background.
• The Library interface of the Music app has brand new icons.
• This wasn't listed in the official beta notes, but there was a storage bug causing issues for some beta users. That's now fixed. 
• If you're also beta-testing watchOS 7, iOS 14 can now send you a push notification if you haven’t washed your hands within a few minutes of arriving home. Nice.
• If you haven't added a mask to your Memoji yet, you really should. There's a new design as well that's less textured.  
• Government alerts about severe weather will show up in the Weather app
• Zoom settings in iOS 14 seem to indicate that the operating system is fully optimized for a 5.4-inch screen device...take that as you will.

What's Next 

iOS 14 has been an eventful beta so far, but overall it's surprisingly stable. Not everything works the way it should, yet, but that's to be expected. Even though they're a bit of a pain, I've really enjoyed the new widgets. In fact, I like them so much, I've completely blown away my carefully arranged Home screen and replaced it all with widgets! I'll talk about that more next week. 

I don't recommend installing iOS 14 on your main device (and if you do read my guide first). If you do, expect instability and partial functionality from core apps until late in August. Even then, at least one of the keynote features will likely be delayed or disappear altogether. Early betas are notorious for culling weak-performing features. 

But if you're bold (and you don't mind the prospect of having to completely restore your phone from scratch), then you can take the plunge and experience the latest from Apple months before it's available to the public. Just make sure you have that Feedback app where you can easily find it to report bugs!

I'll be back soon with more iOS 14 Public Beta coverage.

The Link Lonk


July 24, 2020 at 01:00AM
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iOS 14 Public Beta 3 Is A Buggy Look At Apple’s Best Operating System Yet - Forbes

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