Apple opens up public iOS Beta program with version 8.3

Apple has taken the incredibly successful OS X Beta Software Program and extended the invitation to the much-wider iOS audience.

Starting today, a select few of those already enrolled in the OS X program can opt into the equivalent beta test for iOS, beginning with iOS 8.3. Apple rolled out the third beta of iOS 8.3 to developers this morning, though it’s unclear whether the public beta is the same build or, like it does with the OS X program, a slightly older, less rough version. iOS 8.3, in addition to offering improved language support and a new vertically-scrolling emoji picker, has message filtering options and a number of bug fixes.

Apple has been accused of rushing iOS versions in recent years, with grand feature pronouncements that, upon arrival, either don’t work properly or require several version updates before finding stability. iOS 8, which is nearly six months old, has been one of the buggiest iOS releases to date.

With the iOS Beta Software Program, Apple is hoping to expand the testing base from a few thousand developers to hundreds of thousands, or perhaps millions, of everyday iPhone and iPad users. The consequence of this will be to iron out bugs before releasing a final public version so that mainstream users will have a better experience. Early adopters — those willing to tackle a few bugs in exchange for up-and-coming features, will also benefit.

Those who don’t see the option to enrol an iOS device need be patient: it appears Apple is rolling out the option piecemeal.

[source]Apple[/source]