Apple Seeds Eighth Beta of iOS 11 to Developers [Update: Public Beta Available]

Apple today seeded the eighth beta of iOS 11 to developers for testing purposes, one week after releasing the seventh beta and more than two months after introducing the new update at the Worldwide Developers Conference.

Registered developers can download the new iOS 11 beta from the Apple Developer Center or over-the-air once the proper configuration profile has been installed.

iOS 11 brings quite a few design changes, including a customizable Control Center and a new Lock screen that's been merged with the Notification Center. Peer-to-peer Apple Pay payments are coming in the Messages app, which is also gaining a new App Drawer, and there's a Do Not Disturb While Driving feature that's meant to help drivers stay focused on the road. Siri, Photos, the Camera app, and more are also gaining new features and refinements.

ARKit for developers will bring a range of new augmented reality apps and games to iOS devices, and a new Core ML SDK will let developers build smarter apps. iOS 11 is also the biggest update ever for the iPad, with a new Dock that introduces much improved multitasking, a Files app for better managing files, improved Apple Pencil support, a revamped App Switcher, and a system-wide drag and drop feature.

iOS 11 is available for both registered developers and public beta testers and be released to the public in September alongside new iPhones. We are getting closer to the end of the beta testing process and should see a golden master release candidate in approximately a week.

For complete details on all of the new features included in iOS 11, make sure to check out our extensive iOS 11 roundup.

Update: Apple has released iOS 11 beta 7 for public beta testers.