We’re staunchly in the two-week beta cycle and have been gifted this President’s Day week with iOS 12.2 Public Beta 3. Not only does it introduce even more UI refinements, but it fixes a few bugs as well.
Let’s get to it.
What’s New
Remember last time when I said that iOS 12.2 Public Beta 2 included the iOS 12.1.4 FaceTime fix? Yeah, I was wrong about that. This beta release however really has the fix included, though. Really, really.
My favorite new UI bit is the upgraded Control Center remote. Now it looks just like the actual physical remote for your Apple TV – yeah muscle memory!
Wallet continues to be refined with the Add Money and Transfer to Bank options being turned into proper buttons. It’s a much nicer look.
Smaller, but equally interesting changes include the inclusion of the Model Name in a freshly rearranged About section in your Settings and the replacement of the “Apple” in Apple News with the company logo (and the removal of the current temperature).
For app developers, iOS 12.2 will bring a new subscription model to offer users. Subscription discounts can be offered for a specific period of time for auto-renewing subscription services (like Marvel Unlimited). It’ll be a great way to win back lapsed subscribers.
What’s Broken
That Wallet bug? Still kicking. I have a suspicion that the issue is very specific to certain cards or certain pay points. I pay with Apple Pay all the time and have yet to encounter the bug in the wild. If you have been bitten, choose your card in Wallet before you tap your phone to pay. As always, paying with the Wallet app on your Apple Watch is unaffected.
What’s Fixed
If you rely on prepaid data plans, you can purchase them again when using cellular data.
Were you seeing an issue with Shared Suggestions in Photos? That’s been resolved.
Rejoice! Unless you enjoyed the permanent charge status indicator on the lock screen. Then you have reason to be sad (I have to admit, I actually kind of liked it). iOS 12.2 Public Beta 3 will now display the date as expected underneath the time.
It’d be interesting to see Apple open this up to display additional information. This bug actually gave me some insight into how my phone usage affects battery life, which is a lot more useful than the date.
What’s Next
It’s a long road (getting from there to here…sorry, I’ve been watching old Star Trek shows) till March 25 so I suspect we’ll see more leisurely development this February. Then, when the first full week of March hits, we’ll start getting once-a-week releases.
See you in two weeks!
