Apple seeded the first beta of iOS 18.3, macOS Sequoia 15.3 and iPadOS 18.3 to developers Monday. However, the unusual timing of the release means all but the most committed — and best-equipped — beta testers should probably wait until beta 2 arrives.
Still, there are plenty of new Apple Intelligence features that might make their debut in these new versions.
Maybe hold off on iOS 18.3, macOS sequoia 15.3 and iPadOS 18.3
Work on all Apple’s operating systems is virtually continuous. As soon as the company releases one group of upgrades to the public, beta testing begins on the next versions. That’s why it’s no surprise that less than a week after the launch of iOS 18.2, macOS sequoia 15.2 and iPadOS 18.2, the first betas of their replacements arrived.
However, the mid-December launch of these beta versions means an unusually long wait for the second round is virtually assured. Apple typically waits two weeks after beta 1 of its operating systems for beta 2. But two weeks from Monday falls in the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day (with Hanukkah in there, too). Experience shows that a beta release at that time seems highly unlikely. Taking that into account, the most probable release date for the second beta of iOS 18.3, macOS 15.3, etc. is Monday, January 6 — three weeks from today.
The first betas are often the buggiest, with the most glitches as well as the most severe ones. Three weeks is a long time to put up with problems like that. Especially when there’s almost no chance they’ll be fixed before 2025.
What might be in the new versions
iOS 18.2, macOS sequoia 15.2 and iPadOS 18.2 just reached beta testers, so everything that’s included in the new versions is not yet known. Still, Apple recently laid out its plans for future versions:
“Additional Apple Intelligence capabilities will be available in the months to come. Siri will be even more capable, with the ability to draw on a user’s personal context to deliver intelligence that’s tailored to them. Siri will also gain onscreen awareness, and will be able to take hundreds of new actions in and across Apple and third-party apps. Priority Notifications will also surface what’s most important. In addition, users will be able to create images in Image Playground in a Sketch style, an academic and highly detailed style that uses a vibrant color palette combined with technical lines to produce realistic drawings.”
As it stands now, the first round of betas for iPhone, iPad and Mac can be downloaded and installed only by devs in Apple’s developer program.
Many in that group own devices dedicated specifically to beta testing. Those folks don’t need to worry about buggy iPhones or Macs over the holiday break. But plenty of small developers put the betas on their regular computers because that’s all they have. This group of people should be cautious about iOS 18.3 beta 1, macOS Sequoia 15.3 beta 1 and iPadOS 18.3 beta 1.
