Apple releases public beta versions of iOS 17, macOS Sonoma, and more

The public beta versions for Apple's iOS 17, iPadOS 17, macOS Sonoma, watchOS 10, and tvOS 17, are here.

The new betas, which are freely available to everyone, follow Apple's announcements of the new software at this year's Worldwide Developers Conference in June, and three developer beta versions which Apple released over the past month.

Apple's iOS 17 brings updates to some of iPhone's core functions, including Phone, FaceTime, and Messages. AirDrop has been expanded with a contact sharing feature called NameDrop, new Check In feature notifies contacts when you've arrived at a destination, and an entirely new app called Journal helps you create journal entries by analyzing your recent activities.

Apple's Health app has been updated with a way to log your moods and emotions, and keyboard, dictation, and autocorrect have also been improved.

The new operating system for Macs is called macOS Sonoma, and it's getting widgets on the desktop, beautiful new screen savers, an updated Safari browser, and improved video conferencing. Sharing passwords is now easier, and private browsing now locks your private windows when you're not using them. Oh, and Siri can now invoked just by saying "Siri" - you don't need the "Hey" part anymore.

Then there's iPadOS 17, which also brings interactive widgets, new wallpapers, Live Activities, and a far more configurable Lock Screen. Editing PDF documents on the iPad should now be a breeze, and many iOS features, including the Health app, are now available for the iPad as well.

Apple's watchOS 10 is perhaps the most radically changed OS in Apple's lineup, with a new "Smart Stack" interface that focuses on (once again) widgets. The buttons and gestures on the Watch now behave quite differently than before, but don't worry, you'll get the hang of it in no time. In fact, many of these changes, including the Smart Stack, are optional, so it's up to you whether you want to make the switch or not.

As always, if you plan to install the new betas, bear in mind that beta software is prone to bugs; always back up your devices before switching from a stable software release to beta software.