Apple already released the first public beta of iOS 13.1

By Christian de Looper August 28, 2019

Apple’s iOS 13 may not be available to the public yet, but it looks like the company has pretty much finalized what the new operating system is going to look like. How do we know? Well, the company has already released the first public beta of iOS 13.1 — only one day after releasing the beta to developers.

According to reports, iOS 13.1 brings back many of the features that were in early iOS 13 betas but subsequently removed. For example, the new beta offers the ability to Share ETA within the Maps app, and audio sharing, which allows you to share the audio playing on your AirPods or some Beats headphones with a friend.

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Those features, in particular, are part of what made iOS 13 such an interesting release — even if they were minor in comparison to features like the new dark mode and improved editing features in the Photos app.

Another feature that has been re-added to iOS 13 is the ability to use Shortcuts automations, which allows you automate smart home devices based on the state of your phone. For example, you could turn on your lights when your phone disconnects from Apple CarPlay.

Siri is getting a little smarter too. Now, when you ask Siri to do something, you could get a response asking you to clarify — which helps make Siri much more versatile. This feature could be enabled by third-party developers too — which could come in handy if developers take advantage of it.

It’s important to note that just because Apple hasn’t released iOS 13.0 to the public yet, that doesn’t mean it’ll skip the release. We still expect iOS 13 to be released to the public, probably around the time of the new iPhone release event, which is rumored to be on September 10. Shortly after, iOS 13.1 will likely release to the public — though it will probably be at least a few weeks after the release of iOS 13.

The first phones to ship with iOS 13 will also be released at the September Apple event, and are currently tipped to be called the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max. They’ll feature upgraded cameras, better processors, and more.

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Christian de Looper

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Christian de Looper is a long-time freelance writer who has covered every facet of the consumer tech and electric vehicle…

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