Apple is planning to launch a public beta programs to eliminate bugs from upcoming iOS versions ahead of their general releases. The company will roll out iOS 8.3 beta in March and iOS 9 beta in summer, according to reports.
Apple had come under fire for the lack of quality control in iOS 8. The launch of the iOS beta program will ensure that the OS is more reliable and widely tested by consumer launch.
According to reports, Apple will open the iOS public beta builds to the first 100,000 users who sign up. Apple will release the upcoming iOS 8.3 as a public beta through the AppleSeed program in mid-March. The iOS 9 is expected to be unveiled at the Worldwide Developer Conference in June, with a public beta release during the summer, ahead of a fall release.
iOS 8.3 codenamed 'Stowe', is expected to bring Apple's as-yet-unnamed music streaming service, based on Beats Music that the company acquired last year. Apart from that iOS 8.3 will also bring in support for Wireless CarPlay and a new Emoji keyboard.
The iOS 9 codenamed 'Monarch' is expected to be primarily focused on bug fixes and stability issues. It may also bring in new features like transit directions and indoor modes to the mapping service.
Last year, Apple had provided 1 million people a chance to test OS X Yosemite ahead of its launch. Since then the Cupertino firm has offered public betas to users for minor OS X updates as well.
Source: 9to5 Mac