News: iOS 12 Public Beta 8 for iPhone Released to Apple Software Testers

In a surprise twist, Apple released iOS 12 public beta 8 to software testers on Thursday, Aug. 23, right alongside iOS 12 dev beta 10. The release comes as a bit of a shock, as the company released iOS 12 public beta 7 just three days earlier. The official build of iOS 12 now feels closer every day.

Public beta 8 does not appear to offer testers any noticeable changes or features except that the issue where Apple Pay would become unavailable in Wallet seems to have been fixed since it was dropped from the release notes.

Otherwise, all other public beta 7 bugs officially acknowledged by Apple remain in this release, and the only new issue outlined by the company exclusively affects developers, not public testers. Still, users should download public beta 8 immediately, as public beta 7's security is now out of date.

• Update: iOS 12 Public Beta 9 Released to Apple Software Testers

To download and update your iPhone to iOS 12 public beta 8, you first need to be a registered public beta tester with a valid configuration profile. If you have iOS 12's new "Automatic Updates" enabled, you can let the software update overnight. To download the beta right now, however, launch the Settings app, select "General," then "Software Update." Tap "Download and Install," then follow the on-screen prompts to download and install iOS 12 public beta 8.

Resolved Issues

According to Apple's release notes, iOS 12 dev beta 10 and public beta 8 resolves no issues from dev beta 9 and public beta 7, respectively.

Known Issues

The following is a list of all known issues in iOS 12 dev beta 10 and public beta 8. New issues are listed in bold:

App Store:

• While signed in with a production account and testing with a sandbox account, attempting to fetch a new valid receipt displays a sign-in prompt for the production account with no option for switching to the sandbox account. (42862150) — Workaround: For testing purposes, StoreKit calls such as making a purchase and restoring transactions will fetch a new receipt. Alternatively, sign out of the production account.

CoreGraphics:

• Various CoreGraphics calls have been hardened against continuing with invalid parameters. In iOS 12 beta, these calls may now return NULL or return early. (38344690)

HomeKit:

• Inviting iOS 11 users who have multiple email addresses associated with their Apple ID to a home might not succeed. (41033550) — Workaround: Send the invitation to a different email address or phone number associated with the Apple ID of the iOS 11 user.

Maps:

• Traffic data might not be displayed. (43254370) — Workaround: Tap the 'i' button to reveal Maps Settings and toggle the Traffic switch on.

MediaPlayer Framework:

• When a queueTransaction is performed on applicationQueuePlayer to modify the position of a song, the queue returns unchanged. (39401344)

Phone and FaceTime:

• Group FaceTime has been removed from the initial release of iOS 12 and will ship in a future software update later this fall.
• In iOS 12 beta, Camera Effects in Messages is available only on iPhone SE and iPhone 6s or later and is unavailable on iPad. Camera Effects in FaceTime is available only on iPhone 7 or later and is unavailable on iPad.
• Wi-Fi calls might end unexpectedly when transitioning from Wi-Fi to cellular while on the T-Mobile network. (39251828)

Screen Time:

• The start and stop times for Downtime might change unexpectedly if they were configured prior to installing iOS 12 beta 9. (43393555) — Workaround: Update all devices associated with the iCloud account to iOS 12 beta 9 and reset the start and stop times for Downtime.
• After updating to iOS 12 beta 7 or later, parents should change the Screen Time passcode to prevent children from signing out of iCloud or changing the system time. (42879250)
• "Picked Up Phone" statistics might be inflated due to data syncing from other devices signed into the same iCloud account. (39917173)

Siri:

• When using INUIAddVoiceShortcutButton, the "Add to Siri" and "Added to Siri" button text isn't localized. (43251696) — Workaround: To localize "Add to Siri" and "Added to Siri" button text, include localizations for this text in the strings files of your app bundle.
• While multiple ride-sharing apps are installed, Siri might open the app instead of providing an ETA or location when asked. (42324032) — Workaround: Ask Siri for the ETA or location again.
• Siri Shortcuts might not work if a device is locked. (41307405)
• Siri Suggestions for Shortcuts are enabled on iPhone 6s or later, iPad Pro, iPad (5th generation or later), iPad Air 2, and iPad mini 4. (40669231)

UIKit:

• You might encounter issues with systemLayoutSizeFitting(_:) when using a UICollectionViewCell subclass that requires updateConstraints(). (42138227) — Workaround: Don't call the cell's setNeedsUpdateConstraints() method unless you need to support live constraint changes. If you need to support live constraint changes, call updateConstraintsIfNeeded() before calling systemLayoutSizeFitting(_:).

Xcode:

• When using Messages in the iOS Simulator, a message might not be delivered from User A to User B. (40916530) — Workaround: Send a message from User B to User A.

Public beta 7 may only have lasted three days, but that didn't stop users from showing apprehension towards the update. Some were concerned, as the last iOS 12 beta 7 was quickly removed for stability issues. However, the problematic beta was dev beta 7, and public beta 7 had no relation to that buggy software, as it is a mirror to dev beta 9.

Of course, that doesn't mean users can have total peace of mind when running the iOS 12 beta on their iPhones. While those already running the software should update frequently, those thinking about installing the software should know the risks. Betas are unfinished versions of software to come, and by putting iOS 12 on your device now, you volunteer to encounter any and all issues the beta may bring to your iPhone.

Expect the final version of iOS 12 to be released on Sept. 19, one week after Apple's Sept. 12 event, where they will announce new devices and the release of iOS 12 to the public. Developers will get the Golden Master (GM) build of iOS 12 on or just after the same day of the event.

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