News: iOS 12 Public Beta 9 Released to Apple Software Testers

Apple released iOS 12 beta 9 to public beta testers on Monday, Aug. 27. The update comes at the same time as the release of dev beta 11. This is surprising, as Apple typically releases developer betas at least a few hours before the public version. Then again, everything Apple is doing with its iOS 12 beta as of late is surprising.

At this time, testers should expect a modest update from last week's public beta 8, as Apple's release notes do not offer any resolved bugs from beta 7. That being said, Apple does omit an issue in the notes that would prevent Siri Shortcuts from functioning properly from the lock screen. While unconfirmed, it's likely this issue has been fixed.

Aside from that, a known bug has appeared, causing a popup on the screen telling you to update from the iOS 12 beta. This is supposedly caused by a faulty expiration issue with the beta. The full alert would say the following:

A new iOS update is now available. Please update from the iOS 12 beta.

• Update: iOS 12 Public Beta 10 Released, Fixes Annoying 'Update' Prompt Bug

To download and update your iPhone to iOS 12 public beta 9, 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 public beta 9.

Resolved Issues

According to Apple, iOS 12 public beta 9 resolves no issues from the previous update. However, it's likely the following has been fixed, as it is no longer present in the release notes:

Siri Shortcuts might not work if a device is locked. (41307405)

Known Issues

All bugs still present in public beta 9 are listed here:

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 or later 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 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 testers are most likely shocked to find a new update in their Settings. That's because Apple just issued an iOS 12 beta update on Thursday, which itself was unexpected. Earlier that week, the company released public beta 7, making beta 9 the third update released in just one week's time.

Predicting when Apple will release a new update for iOS 12 is becoming increasingly difficult as its release schedule fluctuates more and more. However, even if Cupertino is perpetually keeping us on our toes, frequent updates are a good thing. After dev beta 7 was pulled for stability issues, any additional stability Apple wants to hand to testers should be welcome with open arms.

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