iOS 9 beta 3 brings Apple Music, Apple News, Selfie albums, more
One month after revealing iOS 9 and seeding the first developer beta, Apple has rolled out the third iOS 9 beta – likely the last developer beta before iOS 9 goes into public beta later this month.
Beta releases traditionally come with bug fixes and performance improvements based on developer feedback on earlier versions, but this time, in addition to two-factor authentication, iOS 9 gains some of the new apps and services Apple announced at its Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) in June.
Here is a look at what’s new in iOS 9 beta 3:
Apple Music debuts
Officially released on June 30 as part of iOS 8.4, Apple Music has led to 40 percent of iOS users installing the latest update to get their hands on Apple’s new all-you-can-eat music service.
With iOS 9 beta 3, developers running iOS 9 now have access to the same features, including music streaming, curated recommendations, Connect, iCloud Music Library, high-quality streaming over cellular networks, and more.
Apple News unveiled
Announced at WWDC, Apple News, like Apple Music, has been absent from iOS 9 until now. The app is Apple’s Flipboard-like news curating service and boasts the ability to learn from users reading habits to serve up ever more relevant content – all in a more readable and elegantly designed format.
In addition, Apple News lets users explore channels, save favorite stories, share them with friends, and configure settings for fetching new stories. Users can also elect to sync content across all their Apple devices in iCloud settings.
Dedicated photo albums for selfies and screenshots
An update to the Photos app in iOS 9 now sees all photos taken with the front camera grouped together in a Selfies album while all screenshots are grouped into a Screenshots album.
Suggested apps in pull down search
Previously limited to search when you swipe left, pulling down from the top of the Home screen to search in iOS 9 surfaces your four most-used apps as suggestions.
In silent mode, Siri doesn’t ‘ding’
Apple said it would make Siri more discreet in situations where users are unable to speak, such as libraries and meetings, and this is probably a step toward that. Previously Siri made a ‘ding’ sound regardless of an iPhone’s sound profile setting, but in iOS 9, if an iPhone is on silent mode, Siri will pulse twice when launched and twice again when she accepts a query.
New icons in Mail
Swiping left on a message in Mail displays new icons to help distinguish between messages.
New four-by-four grid in iPad folders
Instead of nine, the new configuration for iPad folders lets users view 16 apps on a page in iPad folders. The folder icon also inherits the four-by-four grid to display app icons.
This is likely the last developer beta and also the version that will go into public beta. Follow our instructions on how to sign up for the iOS 9 public beta, due out later this month.
Image via apple.com
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