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What's New in iOS 11 Beta 5: iCloud Messages Delayed, New Icons, Control Center Music Changes and More
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Sorry if this is a dumb question, but is there a poll where people who've installed a specific beta version can rate it on battery life, stability, compatibility with 3rd party apps, etc? I'm waiting to dive into a PB for iOS11 until it seems "stable enough" for most users, and it's hard to infer what the consensus among users is by plowing through the comments. Having an aggregated summary of users' experience seems like it would be useful information to most anyone considering installing a particular beta built, and to developers, too.
Amen !! I remember when Control center *didn't* occupy half the screen either. But that's how it always starts... then it grows.. as users demand more...... Could be just display of iPhone, but i doubt it.
And here I thought Apple was the one in control... Seems like the users are.... Whatever happened to a straight out "No, we are not doing this" ? I guess this could change, but you know Apple, when their set on something it would take throwing many bricks to make them change their mind.
And here I thought Apple was the one in control... Seems like the users are.... Whatever happened to a straight out "No, we are not doing this" ? I guess this could change, but you know Apple, when their set on something it would take throwing many bricks to make them change their mind.
For some reason in the files app I only see ICloud, I don’t see the My IPad “local storage” option, this happened both with public beta 3 and beta 5.. any one else with this issues ?
PB is out! To be clear (based on previous posts) - how do we make sure that our messages are not lost? Do we need to disable Messages on iCloud? I don't see an option to do that. My messages have been able to carry over from beta to beta.
Unless there has been a change in policy, they very much used to expire and you were forced to update to the latest version or the phone wouldn't boot properly.
That was one of Apple's earlier advantages... having a detail-minded ringmaster with an innate understanding of product UX to sign off on product developments. Today, the unending UX/UI disparities among its platforms/products suggests that each contributing department is marching to its own drum. The elegance of yesteryear is no more.
Apple seeded the fifth beta of iOS 11 to developers this morning, fixing existing bugs, introducing new bugs, and adding some tweaks to various features and design choices.
We've outlined all of the changes Apple has made to iOS 11 in the fifth update in the video and the post below.
Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.
- Messages in iCloud - Apple's iCloud Messages feature, which allows iMessages to be stored in iCloud to free up space on an iOS or Mac device, has been removed in iOS 11 beta 5. Apple says the feature will be re-released in a future update to iOS 11, suggesting there are no plans to add it back to the version of iOS 11 that will launch in September alongside new iOS devices. It's not clear why the iCloud Messages feature has been removed or exactly when it'll come back.
- Control Center Music Icon - The Music app in the Control Center has been redesigned with a new pulsating indicator that lists nearby audio sources like AirPods, speakers, and AirPlay devices. When the indicator is tapped, it opens up a list of sources that can be quickly selected, making it easier to connect to audio devices or AirPlay content to a television.
- Settings - The icon for the Settings app has been tweaked. Instead of a gray background, it has a black background, making the gears more prominent.
- Camera - The icon for the Camera app has also been subtly tweaked, introducing a simpler design that does away with the two lines that used to be present.
- Screen Recording - When recording your iPhone or iPad screen, the indicator bar that lets you know recording is taking place is now red instead of blue, making it more prominent.
iOS 11 beta 5 is limited to developers at the current time, but Apple will likely introduce the changes in a fourth public beta that we expect to see later this week.
Article Link: What's New in iOS 11 Beta 5: iCloud Messages Delayed, New Icons, Control Center Music Changes and More
was there not a facetime ringer change?
Apple seeded the fifth beta of iOS 11 to developers this morning, fixing existing bugs, introducing new bugs, and adding some tweaks to various features and design choices.
We've outlined all of the changes Apple has made to iOS 11 in the fifth update in the video and the post below.
Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.
- Messages in iCloud - Apple's iCloud Messages feature, which allows iMessages to be stored in iCloud to free up space on an iOS or Mac device, has been removed in iOS 11 beta 5. Apple says the feature will be re-released in a future update to iOS 11, suggesting there are no plans to add it back to the version of iOS 11 that will launch in September alongside new iOS devices. It's not clear why the iCloud Messages feature has been removed or exactly when it'll come back.
- Control Center Music Icon - The Music app in the Control Center has been redesigned with a new pulsating indicator that lists nearby audio sources like AirPods, speakers, and AirPlay devices. When the indicator is tapped, it opens up a list of sources that can be quickly selected, making it easier to connect to audio devices or AirPlay content to a television.
- Settings - The icon for the Settings app has been tweaked. Instead of a gray background, it has a black background, making the gears more prominent.
- Camera - The icon for the Camera app has also been subtly tweaked, introducing a simpler design that does away with the two lines that used to be present.
- Screen Recording - When recording your iPhone or iPad screen, the indicator bar that lets you know recording is taking place is now red instead of blue, making it more prominent.
iOS 11 beta 5 is limited to developers at the current time, but Apple will likely introduce the changes in a fourth public beta that we expect to see later this week.
Article Link: What's New in iOS 11 Beta 5: iCloud Messages Delayed, New Icons, Control Center Music Changes and More
on their public beta site:
if you backed up your iOS device, do a restore and your messages will re-appear. not a big deal.
Yeah, and once that detail-minded ringleader passed away, there was no one left to spoon-feed the developers and tell them what they ought to do.
Oh the horrors!
All this means is that Apple will make more mistakes, but being Apple, they will learn from their mistakes and we will still get the spit and polish we have come to expect from Apple in the end. It just takes a little longer, and the end product will still be the same.
Oh, I guess not a real feature for me. I prefer to keep all the messages on my phone and keep them cleaned up on other devices. Makes sense. Thanks for the explanation.
It’s been six years. Seen lots of spit, but very little polish.
Jobs didn’t “spoon feed” anyone. He hired the best talent he could find for a task and set the bar for them. Some of those talents have credited his demanding standards and vision for the results they achieved.
You underestimate the significance of having someone like Jobs or Musk at the helm, rather than a textbook CEO who can only speak about quarterly earnings.
Meanwhile, companies this large, are inherently bureaucratic, relying on risk-adverse policies for every undertaking, and committees for every decision.
As David Olgivy famously observed, “Look in all the parks. There’s no statues of committees.”
There’s your explanation for the diminishing elegance of the brand’s UX. Hold your money, not your breath, until their efforts justify their marketing hype again.
Apple continues to refine the look of the OS and the functionality of iOS every year. iOS 10 and 11 look very different from iOS 7 and it's clear that its design language continues to mature with every passing year.
And Apple continues to hire the best talent they can find. I don't see how this has changed just because Steve Jobs is no longer around.
No, I think you overestimate their importance.
That fighter pilot who won the war did so with the help of the mechanics who maintained his fighter jet, the engineers who designed his plane, and the cooks who prepared his meals. No man every truly achieved anything solely on his own merits; behind every success is always an army of people who made this all possible.
No doubt Steve Jobs was responsible for much of the vision and accomplishments at Apple, but he also did it with a gigantic support network. No doubt Steve Jobs was a once-in-a-lifetime genius, but this doesn't mean that every other CEO is a moron in comparison. Tim Cook is no Steve Jobs, and he probably can't do the things that Steve Jobs can do, and that's all right, because the reverse is also true - that Steve Jobs likely can't do the things that Tim Cook is good in either.
Steve Jobs may be dead, but the company he founded is still around, and the people whom he worked with are still there, steeped in his values and principles. I think you are selling Apple short if you think they are losing the plot just because one man is no more.
Because committees aren't sexy, and it's easier to sell the narrative of a lone wolf triumphing against unbeatable odds than it is to market the idea of a group of people discussing what the next big move ought to be, because it's more inspiring to think that one man can make the difference, if only he cared enough.
I am not trying to sell Steve Jobs short. That man is a legend and every now and then, I still stream his keynotes to watch.
That said, this whole "Apple is lost without Steve" rhetoric has got to stop.
I find I am still very satisfied with their products. Just last year, I bought the iPad Pro, Apple Pencil, Apple Watch and AirPods, and am using them very happily. Apple may not longer be the underdog that you love to cheer on, but I find there is still that "magic" in their products.
I’m charging several times a day on my 7. Wife’s 7 plus is the same. Total garbage in regards to battery.
Tell that to the boards of every Fortune 500 company. Ask them why a CEO is the highest paid employee, especially those in the consumer tech market. They're convinced that a special visionary is needed in the CEO role. They would sell their mothers to have Jeff Bezos at the helm. Do you believe Apple, Amazon, Facebook, or Tesla would have evolved their brands without their unique CEO's! Sure, you can replace the CEO of a successful company, but often that company's continued relevance is due to momentum and trench hold. Look at Microsoft or IBM.
Refine? You need to visit its definition. Apple's mobile UI has undergone major changes three times in its short history. Considering how much was already known about graphic design, general software UX, and Apple's desktop experience, you'd think they would have solved and perfected the same for a smaller form factor. Instead, they are throwing disparate solutions at the wall and hoping something sticks.
It hasn't. And I imagine the bar hasn't moved for them either. Yet, it looks like they are going under that bar rather than over it.
You can hire a room full of brilliant people. But if you leave them to decide their own agenda or goal, you'll find that their egos and ambitions will undermine their ability to achieve a singular goal. You need a leader to define the goal, set the bar, and exploit the egos. Jobs was a master at it. The result were products that pleased discerning users, and spawned fan bases. When longtime fans and product reviewers are increasingly critical of a brand's flaws, something is clearly amiss.
It's encouraging that you can still find something redeeming in the post-desktop products. But of those items you listed, what distinguishes them from competing brands? Virtually every item is special because of its hardware achievements. The problem with hardware, is that its easily copied and improved upon.
Apple found its niche when it embraced UX. It built its reputation on elegant, intuitive, reliable software. Today, without anyone to perform Jobs' critical oversight of that detail, the brand has lost its soul. It's simply another hardware and media company now.
Apple sells great hardware which they differentiate using unique software as justification for charging premium prices. I agree with you in that regard.
I find that my Apple products just work well, and work well together. My Apple Watch boasts a degree of integration that no other smartwatch can hope to match. I love it for Siri, notifications, music controls and Apple Pay.
My iPad Pro is still the best tablet on the market (and no, I don’t consider the surface pro a tablet), writing with the pencil is a great experience, tablet apps are well-designed, and I use it when I am teaching in the classroom, where it is mirrored to the smart board via an Apple TV). I actually love the charging mechanism for the pencil where you stick it into the iPad. I think it’s clever.
I just completed running a major event for my school. Numerous videos for said event were filmed and edited on my iPad. When I was chairing a meeting with my core team on the event, I presented wholly from my iPad. I was moving from slides to pdf documents in split-screen mode while sample videos were playing in PIP mode. The whole process was fluid and seamless.
My AirPods are light and comfortable and convenient to use and keep. Throwing files around using airdrop is pretty handy. iCloud gets a lot of flak, but I find it gets the job done for me. Even seemingly innocuous services such as mail drop see use from time to time.
People may be able to copy the hardware of these products, but they won’t be able to replicate the Apple ecosystem in its entirety. Maybe I will come to regret my decision to go all-in with Apple one day, but that day will not be today.
Apple's hardware integration is second to none. But since their inclusion of iOS, their ecosystem has suffered from growing pains and an identity crisis. Longtime Mac users find iOS too restrictive and inefficient for work. Even the iPad, with its 64-bit desktop-class processor feels handicapped by its OS's lack of multi-tasking and file handling abilities. Consider Contacts. If you want to flesh out someone's V-card, or organize your contacts, you have to use the Mac. Considering that we encounter new contacts when we're out and about, shouldn't the phone'a app have the same abilities? Yes, some of those abilities are apparently coming, but why didn't they exist to begin with? At least on the iPad. A $900 tablet is an expensive device to use as an Etch-a-Sketch.
I don't agree that their software differentiates them from competitors. Their desktop OS does, but not iOS. If anything, the OS itself--and many of Apple's iOS apps--is an ongoing complaint for users and developers. Look at the ratings for Apple's iWork apps and the overwhelming sentiments about iTunes and Calendars. For persons who actually use such apps, they overwhelmingly prefer third party solutions. Thank God for third party software. Apple should be doing more to enable additional interaction and capabilities among third party apps.
People paid a premium for the iPhone because it was the first of its kind, and the only such one for a while. Until something remarkably different comes along, people will stick with what they know--even if they can switch to something considerably cheaper and equally functional.
Hahaha troll toking points. I'm a UX guy trained by Apple. Their new design philosophy sucks
I am one of those who are increasingly getting more of their work done on iOS, in part inspired by Macstories. I won't say I can get 100% of work done, but I can get a great deal done on my iPad in school, with the heavy lifting done on my iMac at home.
I like the ipad for it's simplicity. Perhaps it's because the nature of my work as a teacher doesn't really need complicated software to begin with. I am glad I don't have to deal with the complexity of a desktop. Just launch an app and use it.
I am with you that the inability to create contact groups is one of the most baffling limitations on iOS. Again, there are third party apps for this, but then I lose out on the ability to send an email to a group using Siri (which I am increasingly starting to like).
I am one of those who started out replacing every stock app with a third-party alternative wherever possible because yes, they were initially very bad, but I am actually going back to using stock apps now.
The main reason is that they have actually gotten "good enough". I have just deleted fantastical and am happily using the stock calendar app now on my iPhone and iPad. I am left with overcast and mail now, mainly because there is no Apple Watch app for podcast, and mail still doesn't support gmail push.
I am also increasingly using Siri to integrate my apps together. Workflow is another dark horse when it comes to automating otherwise complex tasks.
iOS works best when you embrace it, flaws and limitations and idiosyncrasies and all, not fight them.
So what's this cheaper alternative which lets me do what I do on my iPhone, and which integrates as closely with the Apple ecosystem? Not trying to be snarky, just genuinely curious because people often mention this without actually mentioning any examples.
I know I can probably get 2-3 android phones for one iPhone, but 2-3 android phones don't let me do what I do on my iPhone. I would rather pay more for a product which best suits my needs, then pay less for something which doesn't work quite as well.
[doublepost=1502385212][/doublepost]This beta 5 is inferior than beta 4 in term of system stability.
Apple seeded the fifth beta of iOS 11 to developers this morning, fixing existing bugs, introducing new bugs, and adding some tweaks to various features and design choices.
We've outlined all of the changes Apple has made to iOS 11 in the fifth update in the video and the post below.
Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.
- Messages in iCloud - Apple's iCloud Messages feature, which allows iMessages to be stored in iCloud to free up space on an iOS or Mac device, has been removed in iOS 11 beta 5. Apple says the feature will be re-released in a future update to iOS 11, suggesting there are no plans to add it back to the version of iOS 11 that will launch in September alongside new iOS devices. It's not clear why the iCloud Messages feature has been removed or exactly when it'll come back.
- Control Center Music Icon - The Music app in the Control Center has been redesigned with a new pulsating indicator that lists nearby audio sources like AirPods, speakers, and AirPlay devices. When the indicator is tapped, it opens up a list of sources that can be quickly selected, making it easier to connect to audio devices or AirPlay content to a television.
- Settings - The icon for the Settings app has been tweaked. Instead of a gray background, it has a black background, making the gears more prominent.
- Camera - The icon for the Camera app has also been subtly tweaked, introducing a simpler design that does away with the two lines that used to be present.
- Screen Recording - When recording your iPhone or iPad screen, the indicator bar that lets you know recording is taking place is now red instead of blue, making it more prominent.
iOS 11 beta 5 is limited to developers at the current time, but Apple will likely introduce the changes in a fourth public beta that we expect to see later this week.
Article Link: What's New in iOS 11 Beta 5: iCloud Messages Delayed, New Icons, Control Center Music Changes and More
I’m using it on iPad air.
System crushes on turn off screen with background music playing.. music or podcast what ever..
And, crush happened on charging capable. It happened in beta 1 and 2 as well
Certainly beta 5 on iPad Air is just a junks bundle.
Hope apple could fix them within days..
The iPad is awesome for casual activities like browsing. There's no better tool for interactive 3D content like 3D Medical's human anatomy app. Sketching has improved greatly with the Pencil. Yet, I still find that navigation and touch input is too slow for work activities. It's no surprise that Apple resisted the idea of touch-enabled Macs. Touch UI isn't as sexy and capable as what people saw in the Minority Report! It's slow and imprecise.
As a longtime Apple disciple, it pains me to hear you say that. That's the attitude that Microsoft users have. The Apple creed is supposed to be "It Just Works". If Apple's reputation is to be preserved and deserved, you can't let Apple rest on its laurels by accepting half-baked UX solutions. Unfortunately, for every clever UX detail they deliver (auto-pairing and syncing features come to mind), they neglect a dozen obvious shortcomings (synced iMessages is a big one). Considering Apple's enormous resources, there's no excuse for their belated improvements and wait-and-see strategy.
One might say that Apple's biggest problem is its marketing hyperbole. Their new product keynotes and advertising reaffirm Apple's legendary elegance and capability. In reality, users are voicing their disgust with key features such as Siri. If Apple hadn't portrayed Siri as a clever, responsive voice assistant, users wouldn't be as angry with the reality that Siri's AI is more artificial than it is intelligent. They would have accepted that Siri is a one-or-two trick pony... much like Apple's Text app was compared to a robust wordprocessor.
You already know the answer. None work with Apple's closed ecosystem. Yet all are capable of the same tasks and activities. If you can divorce yourself from Apple's content and cloud services, what's left that is exclusive?
I find it's perfect for me. When I am walking around in the classroom, iPad in hand, the fluidity of the touchscreen and the intuitiveness of iOS is precisely what allows me to stay as productive as I am, precisely because I don't have to contend with the complexities and idiosyncrasies of a desktop UI. I simply tap on an app icon, and it launches in fullscreen, ready for me to use.
I just completed running a major school event, and my iPad was instrumental for numerous tasks. I filmed my principal giving a speech in front of a green screen and edited the background on my iPad. My colleague filmed some short clips on his iPhone and airdropped them to my iPad, where I edited them using iMovie and Vee. I chaired meetings with my iPad as my key presentation device, with videos running in PIP mode and apps in split-screen view. My iPad is just so light and portable, with long battery life and inbuilt 4G ensures I am never caught dead without internet connection.
Yes, I still have an iMac at home for the heavy lifting, but in school, much of what I do, gets done on an iPad. Because of its touchscreen, mobile OS and other features which you deem as limitations, but which I find to be unique strengths.
In short, I like my iPad precisely because it doesn't try too hard to emulate a traditional PC, which in turn frees it up to shine in its own areas.
Um, no. That's the way Apple products have always been - they give you just one way of doing a certain thing, but it's a darn good one. A macbook doesn't come with a stylus or touchscreen, but the trackpad remains second to none, and it remains the best, most uncompromised laptop experience there is. This also means that it can never be anything more, or less, than a conventional laptop.
Apple devices "just work", but only when you allow them to work as Apple intended. It was the case back then, it's no different now.
I suppose it is then ironic that even as we speak, Siri is playing an increasingly dominant role in the way I interact with my iOS devices. I am already using Siri to start quick messages, dictate short-to-medium length responses, look for map locations, perform quick calculations and now, to add new events to my calendar, compose quick emails and set reminders. It's not perfect, but its reliability is much better now, to the point that I am willing to accept a small chance of spectacular fails in exchange for the convenience that it brings.
Notes has also improved dramatically over the past few years, and I have recently gone back to it after a less-than-subpar experience with Bear (notes I created on Bear had issues syncing to my other devices). Say what you will about Notes. It's quick, it's capable, and the OS integration it sports is unmatched, especially on the iPad with iOS 11.
The Apple ecosystem is precisely what makes me so productive. Could I make all my devices work seamlessly together if they were a hodgepodge of hardware from different brands and platforms? Sure, but it would be a lot more work, and the process likely won't be as seamless, and that defeats the whole purpose.
For starters, I teach in the classroom with my iPad mirrored to an Apple TV. Sure, I could use an EZ-cast dongle in tandem with an Android tablet, but then I lose access to 4G (part of the drawback of using wifi to connect) and I lose a very capable tablet in the iPad. This in turn has other ramifications, because then I can't use the apple pencil, the 4:3 ratio of the iPad (because my classroom smart board is 4:3 as well), and Android or Windows wouldn't be as fluid or stable as iOS.
I use iCloud to sync my data, from photos to settings to nightly backups. To my knowledge, Android still doesn't offer the latter.
iOS is home to many great apps which isn't available on Android still.
Yes, maybe on paper, your android phone can do the exact same things my iPhone or iPad can, but it can't do those tasks the way I want them done. Apple is able to offer me a unique proposition that no other company can supply - an integrated computing solution which just works right out of the box. They aren't cheap, that much I admit, but I daresay that my Apple devices have more than paid for themselves in the form of greater productivity and fewer problems overall.