Sticking to its weekly beta update schedule, Apple has seeded iOS 17 Beta 8 to developers and beta testers.
The tech giant has also released iPadOS Beta 8, tvOS 17 Beta 8, watchOS 10 Beta 8, HomePodOS 17 Beta 8, visionOS 1.0 Beta 3 and AirPods 6.0 Beta 4. However, it did not release macOS Sonoma 14 Beta 7 which appears to be on a different release schedule; macOS Sonoma 14 Beta 6 was released a week after other beta updates.
Everything new in iOS 17 Beta 8
The tech specs of the latest developer beta update are:
- Size: 572.2 MB on iPhone 14 Pro Max
- Build number: iOS 17.0 (21A5327a). The build number of iOS 17 Beta 7 was iOS 17.0 (21A5319a).
- Modem Firmware: 2.08.02. The same as the iOS 17 Beta 7 update.
iOS 17 Beta 8 is a smaller update than the previous beta update and is much closer to the final version, focuses more on performance improvements and bug fixes, and does not feature significant changes.
Changes
Here are the minor changes we have found in the beta update so far:
- Update State of Mind animations in the Health app
- Apple Maps removed the option to download offline maps
- New Splash screens for the following apps:
- Share Apple Music via Bluetooth with someone nearby to play music in CarPlay.
- Apple TV+
- Apple Music in iOS
- More resolved and known issues as per iOS 17 Beta 8 release notes
- 11 categories of Known issues
- 80 new categories of Resolved issues. However, the Notifications bug has also survived this update and shows glitchy notifications on the Lock Screen.
Performance
The overall experience appears to be smoother and faster, the apps load and switch without any issues.
Geekbench CPU scores of the latest beta update are as follows:
- Single-core score: 2639
- Multi-core score: 6848
Battery life and thermals
The battery performance is slightly better than iOS 17 Beta 7 but not a drastic improvement. Having said that, the iPhone running on iOS 17 Beta 8 did not heat up or get warm.
Expected schedule of release of RC and final version
As Apple has officially announced the “Wonderlust” event on September 12, it is expected that the company will release Release Candidate (RC) on September 12. RC is the last update seeded to developers and public beta testers before the final version is released to the public.
The final iOS 17 version might be released to everyone on September 18, a week after the release of RC.
Should you install iOS 17 Beta 8?
If you are on iOS 17 Beta 7, you should update to iOS 17 Beta 8 or iOS 17 Public Beta 6 as it is more stable than before.
August 23, 2023: Apple recently released iOS 17 Beta 7 to developers and beta testers a week after it seeded iOS 17 Beta 6. As we are very close to the final version of iOS 17 expected to be released to the public by September 12 – 19, there are minor changes and improvements in the latest iOS 17 Beta 7 update.
The tech company also released iPadOS 17, macOS Sonoma Beta 6, watchOS 10 Beta 7, tvOS 17 Beta 7, HomePodOS 17 Beta 6, and macOS Ventura 13.6 RC.
If you are interested in installing iOS 17 Beta 7, here are the changes found in the latest update.
Should you download iOS 17 Beta 7 or iOS 17 Public Beta 5?
The tech specs of the latest developer beta update are:
- Size: 664.9 MB on iPhone 14 Pro Max.
- Build number: iOS 17.0 (21A5319a). The “a” indicates that the new update is closer to the final version, and the next update might be iOS 17 R.C. The build number of iOS 17 Beta 6 was iOS 17.0 (21A5312c).
- Modem Firmware: 2.08.02. It is slightly improved than 2.08.01 in iOS 17 Beta 6 and Beta 5.
Here is everything we know about the update in iOS 17 Beta 7.
Changes and improvements
- Repositioned the “End” in the middle of the Keypad of the Phone app. It was moved to the right corner of the UI in Beta 6.
- Shazam app gets two new Lock Screen widgets: a small widget with an icon of the app and a medium with the title of the song played last.
- When enabled, AirPods Pro 2 new Conversational Awareness feature plays an info message in the ear that the AirPods reduced volume because the users started to speak.
- Haptic feedback returns when muted with a new vibration pattern. It is speculated that the vibration pattern is related to the new Action Button expected in iPhone 15 Pro models.
- Apple Cash service is showing for users in Greece and Hungary but is not functional.
- Account Recovery Sign-in and Security option in the Settings app is updated with new wording with what would happen if you forget your password or device passcode.
- Refined the mood-tracking animations for the State of Mind feature in the Health app.
Resolved and unresolved bugs
- Beta options are no longer available in the Software Updates section of the Settings app.
- Fixed the Apple Music bug which prevented users from going back to the app from the Lock Screen.
- Fixed Discord stickers bug.
- The Notifications bug survived this update as well.
- 79 new categories of Resolved issues.
- 12 categories of Known issues, up from 10 categories in iOS 17 Beta 6.
Performance
With more stability and resolved issues, the latest beta update is faster and smoother than iOS 17 Beta 6 with slightly better Geekbench scores.
- Single-core score: 2635
- Multi-core score: 6801
Battery life
In comparison to iOS 17 Beta 6, the battery life has slightly improved in the new update.
Verdict
As it is expected to be the final beta update before the Release Candidate of iOS 17 in September, interested users with Apple Developer membership can safely download the iOS 17 Beta 7 update. Others can install iOS 17 Public Beta 5 to enjoy, the almost, same experience.
