„Just some beta bashing“

[Elusi]

Update: I have had a response from an email sent to Tim Cook, and there is agreement, that 'developer betas' being allowed to be utilised by 'public', outside of the 'public beta', program, needs addressing.

Man why do you have to go and ruin the fun for the rest of us?

 

[Madonepro]

Man why do you have to go and ruin the fun for the rest of us?

Fun? Interesting adjective for the way non-developers have responded to the release of a beta. But don't worry, there will be public betas, which I'm sure Apple will continue, if it makes any change to the developer beta. From the response, it appears they were not aware of the access by the public to the betas they release under the developer guise, and insight of the response to 'liquid glass', it has highlighted this issue.

 

[Jumpthesnark]

Update: I have had a response from an email sent to Tim Cook, and there is agreement, that 'developer betas' being allowed to be utilised by 'public', outside of the 'public beta', program, needs addressing.

It would be great if this were true. If someone isn't a registered beta tester/dev and they install the dev beta, then all they're going to do is come to places like the MR forums and either complain or be happy. It's completely meaningless as far as the purpose of betas, though. Which is to get feedback and bug reports to Apple.

Seriously, what does OP want us to do with this information? They're not making things better, they're just making things noisier.

 

[bushman4]

If Apple releases this Liquid Glass Upgrade AS IS a lot of people are going to be upset
People are creatures of habit and the word New is sometimes not accepted
Or to put it bluntly New is not always better!!

 

[leonremi]

+1 just went back to IOS 18.5.

I really hope the whole liquid glass thing will go away or be optional.

I don't need those absurd soapy bubbles everywhere.

It might be vaguely inoffensive in places but it's horrible in essential spaces (control center, main screen, even the video controls are ridiculous).

 

[sunapple]

Fun? Interesting adjective for the way non-developers have responded to the release of a beta. But don't worry, there will be public betas, which I'm sure Apple will continue, if it makes any change to the developer beta. From the response, it appears they were not aware of the access by the public to the betas they release under the developer guise, and insight of the response to 'liquid glass', it has highlighted this issue.

Yeah I agree with your posts, Public Betas exist for a reason. Non-developers installing beta 1 on every device they own, I'm sure it's a very small % of users, but they will definitely share their experiences with everyone who asks + some who never asked. There is already a negative image around their software, mostly from official releases and delays, so why make it worse.

 

[Madonepro]

I'm sure it's a very small % of users, but they will definitely share their experiences with everyone who asks + some who never asked. There is already a negative image around their software, mostly from official releases and delays, so why make it worse.

One only has to read within these forums, that perhaps that number is higher, and the flooding of negativity happens, each and every WWDC (and at other times too) for the last couple of years. Would love to see more of the complainers, pick up a computer, learn to code and help advance IT.

 

[sunapple]

One only has to read within these forums, that perhaps that number is higher, and the flooding of negativity happens, each and every WWDC (and at other times too) for the last couple of years. Would love to see more of the complainers, pick up a computer, learn to code and help advance IT.

As a control question they could ask what IT stands for.

 

[Arran]

A little transparency is fine, but what’s the benefit of having that much transparency? Anyone?

 

[Cobalt Blizzard]

first impressions matter.

First impressions are the keynote and public stable release in September. We are only ~0.01% of Apple users who installs those betas.

 

[Arytonsenna]

 

[Rogifan]

I wonder if the white text for notifications in certain scenarios is a bug? Someone on Threads posted a screenshot from Apple’s documentation. It shows black text.

 

[Rogifan]

Update: I have had a response from an email sent to Tim Cook, and there is agreement, that 'developer betas' being allowed to be utilised by 'public', outside of the 'public beta', program, needs addressing.

Fun? Interesting adjective for the way non-developers have responded to the release of a beta. But don't worry, there will be public betas, which I'm sure Apple will continue, if it makes any change to the developer beta. From the response, it appears they were not aware of the access by the public to the betas they release under the developer guise, and insight of the response to 'liquid glass', it has highlighted this issue.

I’m on the iOS 18 public beta and if I go to settings right now it offers me the iOS 26 developer beta. How could Apple not be aware that this was being offered?

They need to make it not so easy to install the developer beta. Way too many - who have no business doing so - are installing it. I don’t care if some of these are tech savvy who know the risks blah blah blah. Threads is full of posts dunking on a dev 1 beta as if it’s what’s going to ship in September. Apple needs to make it harder to get the dev betas.

 

[CopyChief]

I’m on the iOS 18 public beta and if I go to settings right now it offers me the iOS 26 developer beta. How could Apple not be aware that this was being offered?

They need to make it not so easy to install the developer beta. Way too many - who have no business doing so - are installing it. I don’t care if some of these are tech savvy who know the risks blah blah blah. Threads is full of posts dunking on a dev 1 beta as if it’s what’s going to ship in September. Apple needs to make it harder to get the dev betas.

If I recall, even when it was more difficult to install developer betas with profiles and such, people still found a way, and so many people who had "no businesses doing so" installed unstable betas and then came to forums or Twitter to dunk on Apple's "lack of attention to detail." Making it harder won't deter a lot of people.

That said the percentage of people running the beta compared to the install base is negligible. The unsatisfied voices are so loud here, as with any issue projected online.

 

[TimFL1]

Fun? Interesting adjective for the way non-developers have responded to the release of a beta. But don't worry, there will be public betas, which I'm sure Apple will continue, if it makes any change to the developer beta. From the response, it appears they were not aware of the access by the public to the betas they release under the developer guise, and insight of the response to 'liquid glass', it has highlighted this issue.

Tales from their asses. Apple knows who installs their dev betas and that the vast majority of that audience is not engaging in any QA or app development workflows.

They lifted the payment requirement for dev betas on purpose, the nearly infinite telemetry they get from the simpletons running dev betas on their daily drivers far outweighs any monetary gain from developer memberships or public outcry. Not to mention the fact, that they squashed dev beta resellers over night (there were entire marketplaces dedicated to sharing profiles or registering devices in developer profiles before that).

The only thing that happened is Apple being caught off guard by the Liquid Glass hate / accessibility issues. Not tied to any average joe installing the beta, the feedback would‘ve been bad with limited dev beta access too.

 

[TimFL1]

If I recall, even when it was more difficult to install developer betas with profiles and such, people still found a way, and so many people who had "no businesses doing so" installed unstable betas and then came to forums or Twitter to dunk on Apple's "lack of attention to detail." Making it harder won't deter a lot of people.

That said the percentage of people running the beta compared to the install base is negligible. The unsatisfied voices are so loud here, as with any issue projected online.

Originally you had to register your device ID as a test device in a valid membership developer account. That‘s what spawned entire marketplaces dedicated to selling you access for your device.

If you tried booting a freshly updated device without a valid registration, you had a paperweight and had to restore to a stable release. That was eventually lifted (unsure when, probably iOS 9?).

Before you could just register your device account for access in settings you had profiles you installed. They eventually got rid of those to streamline beta access and to stop people from blocking software updates that way (you could stay on a iOS 14 profile to block updates from showing up when iOS 15+ was out).

 

[rorschach]

An annual MacRumors tradition continues.

iOS 18 is the worst software Apple has ever released. I wish so bad I had stayed on 17.7
Has iOS 17 been the worst iOS ever?
Anyone else disappointed with iOS 16?
iOS 15 may be least exciting version yet
Not Really Loving iOS 14
WOW iOS 13 is a total letdown
After using iOS 12 for a couple of hours, I'm already bored.
11 is the worst ios release ever
iOS 10 is such a disappointment, why?
iOS 9 is making me hate Apple
Argh! iOS 8 the worst ever!! I hate it...
iOS 7 is the worst version of iOS to date.
iOS6 is probably the most underwhelming release of iOS to date
Is iOS5 the "buggiest" iOS yet?
Negative Reactions to iPhone OS 4.0 / New Features
Kind of underwhelmed with 3.0
iPhone Firmware 2.0: It's just a disaster

 

[HouseLannister]

They need to make it not so easy to install the developer beta.

I propose a skill assessment. Create an AppleScript or GTFO.

 

[joshwithachance]

It's reminding me of how utterly terrible and buggy the initial betas of iOS 7 were. I'll be waiting for the 2nd or 3rd public beta before installing it on any of my devices.

 

[Parowdy]

I’m not discrediting anyone’s opinion. If you go thru my previous posts, I’d already predicted this happening well before the WWDC.
Sensationalizing your distaste for the design based on a dev beta 1, which we all know is going to get tweaked a lot before the public release, and dismissing the entire design as an “abomination” is what I disagree with.


Imagine being in a fender bender after getting your license and it starts to make sense.

Unless you’re being forced by Apple to install the most unstable betas, you’re the only one responsible. No one installing the betas is incentivized by Apple in any way — they do it to experience the new features of the next iteration.

I have the option to install them too, but I know how unstable beta 1 can be, so I choose to wait until beta 5. I’m neither forced nor incentivized. And if I choose to install, I already have a backup should I decide to revert. I’m not gonna blame Apple for giving me the option for free.

I’m seriously trying to wrap my head around the concept of you blaming Apple for “you” installing an unstable version. Never heard that before.

Car manufacturers care very little if you have a license or not. After all you can buy and own a car without a license, you just can’t drive it or park it in a public place, but thats nothing a car company usually cares about. They don’t „allow“ you to have a license.
Neither does Apple „allow“ me to have a phone, their business is selling it and their services to me. You can own a phone and not agree to the end user license agreement, same thing from the perspective of the company.
I surely do have a distaste for Apple‘s first go at this, it is not good. It’s definitely going to be better, but it’s isn’t good as is. I don’t understand how Apple fumbles their most influential iOS release in 12 years this hard.
I get however that you dislike my harsh words, „abomination“ is a bit much.
What I don’t understand though is how you misunderstood me.
I didn’t claim that Apple forces betas on hardware. I claimed they force updates and upgrades. Which is very apparent.
I never claimed Apple forced me to install a beta and I don’t get how you would think I did.

 

[Parowdy]

First impressions are the keynote and public stable release in September. We are only ~0.01% of Apple users who installs those betas.

Sorry but you really believe that the majority of people learn about the new iOS because of the Keynote?
Most folks, especially the ones Apple mostly wants to target with this slick redesign, are young people. And they don’t watch a keynote. They watch their favorite online personality’s that have the beta installed or source videos from other influencers.

 

[fisherking]

Car manufacturers care very little if you have a license or not. After all you can buy and own a car without a license, you just can’t drive it or park it in a public place, but thats nothing a car company usually cares about. They don’t „allow“ you to have a license.
Neither does Apple „allow“ me to have a phone, their business is selling it and their services to me. You can own a phone and not agree to the end user license agreement, same thing from the perspective of the company.
I surely do have a distaste for Apple‘s first go at this, it is not good. It’s definitely going to be better, but it’s isn’t good as is. I don’t understand how Apple fumbles their most influential iOS release in 12 years this hard.
I get however that you dislike my harsh words, „abomination“ is a bit much.
What I don’t understand though is how you misunderstood me.
I didn’t claim that Apple forces betas on hardware. I claimed they force updates and upgrades. Which is very apparent.
I never claimed Apple forced me to install a beta and I don’t get how you would think I did.

so what's the point, finally? you know it's developer beta 1. so why go back (or why jump in so early in the first place?) either way, down the line, you may want or need the new features & functionality of ios26, or 27, or... and then you'll upgrade, and adapt.

then one day, like (almost) all of us, you'll wake up, look at your phone, and it will look just right (or at least until apple's next major GUI rework 🤣). in my humble observation, it's been like this thru every iteration of apple OSes.

 

[Parowdy]

Microsoft doesn't release developer builds to the general public, and rightly so, as demonstrated within these forums.

The release of a future Operating System beta, is not for the general public, it is for developers, who have an interest in ensuring, their work is compatible to the system, and as they have an understanding of coding, and IT architecture, are best placed to help Apple in ironing out issues.
The whinging, moaning, and sense of entitlement, demonstrated by many with this thread, and many others, demonstrates why developer betas, should be for them.
Apple is not releasing bad updates, they are releasing beta software. Let me say that again, beta software, defined as 'a trial of machinery, software or other products in the final stages of development, carried out by a party unconnected with the development process.'
And yes, I do expect the world, and I, to just wait. No first version is the same as the released version, and what most are complaining about, is simply their visual viewpoint, because the no little about coding and IT architecture and design.

Update: I have had a response from an email sent to Tim Cook, and there is agreement, that 'developer betas' being allowed to be utilised by 'public', outside of the 'public beta', program, needs addressing.

If the biggest new feature is a new design they better get that one right BEFORE making it possible for influencers and layman on the internet to use and showcase it.
I’m not arguing anything but that the design is bad at this point.
Ignore this thread, people still have very critical opinions and rightfully so.
Just because you expect the world to hold its breath until September doesn’t mean it’s gonna do it, that’s naive thinking, sorry.

 

[adrianlondon]

The thing about young (a relative term!) people using social media to form their opinions, is that they have a short memory 😁

None of them will remember what B1 looked like; they'll remember what the RC looked like. Which is exactly what they (and we) should do.

 

[Parowdy]

It would be great if this were true. If someone isn't a registered beta tester/dev and they install the dev beta, then all they're going to do is come to places like the MR forums and either complain or be happy. It's completely meaningless as far as the purpose of betas, though. Which is to get feedback and bug reports to Apple.

Seriously, what does OP want us to do with this information? They're not making things better, they're just making things noisier.

I wanted to share my opinion. I didn’t expect the thread to go this far. Like any other thread you have the choice to read, engage, or ignore. Didn’t mean to stir the pot.