Apple to out public betas for iOS 8.3 and iOS 9

 Apple, iOS

Apple is apparently planning on releasing public beta versions for both iOS 8.3 and iOS 9 this year, according to a rumor on the matter. This information reportedly comes from "multiple people briefed on the plans", which means it should be reasonably accurate.

If true, this would be a big shift in Apple's way of developing its mobile software. Up until now, only registered developers have had access to the company's beta releases for iOS. And as being an iOS developer entails a $99 yearly fee, the public at large mostly hasn't ever seen any beta builds of iOS. There have been instances of people selling beta downloads from developer accounts, but their success has likely been limited.

Further down the road, iOS 9 will be officially introduced at Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference in June. This will get a public beta release later in the summer, with the final launch scheduled for the fall. We've heard before that iOS 9 will be focused primarily on bug fixes and stability improvements.

iOS 8.3, on the other hand, will bring support for Wireless CarPlay, as well as a new Emoji keyboard, an enhanced voice for Siri, and simpler login procedures for Google services. The people who will become beta testers for these releases will be able to use a special app to report bugs to Apple.