First iOS 17, macOS Sanoma, watchOS 10 developer betas ready for testing

First iOS 17, macOS Sonoma, watchOS 10 developer betas now ready for testing

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Nearly every Apple device has a new beta out.
Photo: Apple

With macOS Sonoma, iOS 17, iPadOS 17, watchOS 10 and tvOS 17 unveiled at WWDC23 on Monday, Apple made the initial betas available to developers. These are major updates for the various operating systems that run all Apple computers.

Beta testing will stretch through summer, with the full release of these OSs not coming until autumn.

Testing begins on all Apple OSs

Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference is the traditional venue to announce significant software upgrades for iPhone, Mac, etc., and WWDC23 carried on the tradition.

And Apple does more than simply talk about these upgrades. It also releases the first round of betas for them. That’s again true for macOS Sonoma, iOS 17, iPadOS 17, watchOS 10 and tvOS 17.

These new versions usher in many changes. As just a few examples, Macs are getting desktop widgets, Autocorrect is getting a lot smarter on iPhone and iPad, iPads are Lock Screen improvements, widgets are coming to Apple Watch, and much more.

iOS 17, macOS Sonoma, etc. are for developers only

Currently, the betas are only for devs who pay to be in Apple’s developer program. Apple says those in its free public beta program will have to wait until July for access.

That said, these early versions are notoriously bug laden. They are not for casual users.