Apple's iOS 12 Public Beta Launched, Here's How To Get It

Apple has rolled out the very first public beta of its upcoming iOS 12 software for iPads and iPhones. This marks the first time that people outside the Apple developers community have had access to iOS 12. Apple fans can download the new software and use it now.

Naturally, with the word "beta" attached to the software, there are caveats to it with the big one being that there will be plenty of bugs present. That is the purpose of a beta; to let users find bugs that Apple can squash. Among known bugs in iOS 12 as a beta product are incorrect data in Map and other apps, CarPlay crashes when side and backup cameras are used, and dropped calls can occur in FaceTime if you are multitasking. If you are willing to try the new software, you can enroll for the public beta test at beta.apple.com. We'd just recommend that you install the operating system on an older or spare device instead of your primary rig.

We already know a lot about iOS 12 and what it will add to the mix. Apple confirmed all sorts of cool features at WWDC earlier this month. Among the major new features are Memoji, Group FaceTime, ARKit 2.0, and Siri Shortcuts. Apple is also baking in more ways to report calls and texts as spam and it is enhancing 911 emergency services' ability to locate you in an emergency.

iOS 12 will make it harder on law enforcement when it comes to cracking iPhones as part of legal investigations. USB Restricted Mode in iOS 12 forces the passcode for an iPhone connected via USB to be entered within an hour or access is denied -- this means that law enforcement has a much shorter window to crack the devices. One of the common devices used by law enforcement to crack iPhones is the GrayKey, which is produced by a company called GrayShift. GrayShift claims that it had already defeated USB Restricted Mode, which is news that was likely celebrated by law enforcement.