After releasing a couple of betas for developers, Apple today unleashed the first iOS 12 public beta.
iOS 12 Public Beta 1 is now available to download. As its name implies, anyone can download this update and try iOS 12 before it's released to the public this fall. To get the iOS 12 Public Beta, you'll need to go to Apple's Beta Software Program website and enroll your iOS device, which will install a special profile on it. You then check for an update by going into Settings > General > Software Update and the iOS 12 Public Beta should appear.
Keep in mind that while it's being offered to the public, the iOS 12 Public Beta is very much still a beta update. That means that you may encounter bugs, performance quirks, and issues with other apps. That's why if you want to try iOS 12 Public Beta, you may want to load it onto a secondary device rather than your daily driver iPhone.
The update to iOS 12 includes many new features. Grouped Notifications (shown above) will stack the notifications on your lock screen, grouping them together by app or group. There's a focus on digital wellness in iOS 12 that includes a Screen Time feature that'll tell you how often you use your phone during the day and which apps you spend time in. Apple has promised a focus on performance improvements, too.
Do Not Disturb is getting better in iOS 12, letting you set DND to be active until you leave a certain location or after a certain period of time. Do Not Disturb During Bedtime will dim your screen and block notifications from appearing to help you rest. And then there's the four new Animoji — a ghost, a koala, a tiger, and a T-Rex — as well as the ability to create custom Animoji with Memoji.
If you decide to take the plunge and install the iOS 12 Public Beta, be sure to share your first impressions with us! And if you'd rather wait until the public release, you can see get an early peek at iOS 12 by watching our hands-on video at the top of this post.
