Apple Seeds First Public Betas of iPadOS and iOS 13.1

Apple today seeded the first beta of an upcoming iPadOS and iOS 13.1 update to developers, one day after surprising developers with the new beta.

Beta testers who have signed up for Apple’s beta testing program will receive the iOS 13.1 beta update over-the-air after installing the proper certificate on an iOS device.

Those who want to join the beta testing program can sign up on Apple’s beta testing website, which gives users access to iOS, macOS, and tvOS betas.

iOS 13.1 is not a mistake, but it was a surprise as Apple has never before released a point update for software that’s not out yet. With the update, Apple is likely aiming to make iOS 13.1 ready for download shortly after iOS 13 becomes available.

Apple still plans to release iOS 13 ahead of iOS 13.1, and iOS 13.1 is a subsequent update that will follow the initial iOS 13 launch.

The iOS 13.1 update includes multiple features that were announced at WWDC but were ultimately removed from iOS 13 over the beta testing period. Shortcuts Automations, for example, is back in iOS 13.1.

Shortcuts Automations allows Shortcuts users to create personal and home automations from the Shortcuts app to have actions performed automatically when specific conditions occur.

Share ETA, a major maps feature, is also available in iOS 13.1. With Share ETA, you can share your estimated time of arrival to a location with a friend or family member.

Other new features include new icons on the volume indicator when headphones or speakers are connected (with icons for AirPods, Beats headphones, and HomePod), more detailed HomeKit icons in the Home app, and updates to Dynamic Wallpapers.

Mouse support, an accessibility option in iOS 13, has been improved in iOS 13.1 allowing a long press or 3D Touch to be mapped to the right click function of the mouse. Reading goals now include PDFs, Nike+ is now just Nike, and iOS 13.1 supports HEVC video encoding with alpha channels.