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iOS 17 beta 2 now available to developers, here’s how to install it

Published Jun 21st, 2023 4:21PM EDT
First iOS 17 beta rC
Image: José Adorno for BGR

A couple of weeks after iOS 17 was previewed, beta 2 is finally being available to developers by Apple. This update brings bug fixes and improves the experience with the upcoming operating system for iPhones. Here’s what you need to know about this update.

iOS 17 beta introduces a revamped Phone app. It brings personalized Contact Posters, which provide a new way for users to express themselves by customizing how they appear, bringing a completely new look to incoming calls. They can choose treatments for photos or Memoji and eye-catching typography and font colors.

For FaceTime, when users call someone who is unavailable, they can share a message in audio or video that can be enjoyed later. In addition, the app adds Reactions such as hearts, balloons, fireworks, and more.

FaceTime now supports voice and video messages so when users call someone who is not available, they can share a moment or message that can be enjoyed later.Image source: Apple

With iOS 17 beta, Apple says Autocorrect received a comprehensive update with a transformer language model for word prediction. It also received a refreshed design to better support typing, and sentence-level autocorrections can fix more types of grammatical mistakes.

Users can receive predictive text recommendations inline as they type, so adding entire words or completing sentences is as easy as tapping the space bar, making text entry faster than ever. Dictation also has a new speech recognition model to make it even more accurate.

In addition, the Health app on iOS 17 lets you log your state of mind by scrolling through engaging visuals to help you select how you’re feeling at that moment and during the day overall. In the Health app, it’s also possible to see your state of mind and how it could correlate with lifestyle factors.

With a new Mental Wellbeing section on the Health app, you can even log how anxious or depressed you feel. This will help you understand if you need to pursue medical help or not.

How to download iOS 17 beta 2 to developers

  • On your iPhone, open the Settings app
  • Tap on General and Software Update
  • Tap on Beta Updates and enable iOS 17 Developer Beta once it’s available

Make sure your added Apple ID is registered as a developer. From there, you can download iOS 17 beta, as it will prompt on your device’s screen.

The same is worth it for the Mac, iPad, Apple TV, and Apple Watch. Note that using a different Apple ID for the beta update won’t impact your iCloud settings. Apple explains: “You can sign in with a different Apple ID that is enrolled in the Apple Beta Software Program or Apple Developer Program.”

In addition, users running any iOS 16 developer beta can tap on Beta Updates and enable the new iOS 17 Developer Beta.

This update will be available later this fall on iPhone models, as long as they are an iPhone XR, iPhone XS, or newer. Apple dropped support for the iPhone 8 and iPhone X version.

José Adorno Tech News Reporter

José is a Tech News Reporter at BGR. He has previously covered Apple and iPhone news for 9to5Mac, and was a producer and web editor for Latin America broadcaster TV Globo. He is based out of Brazil.