Apple Releases iOS 12.2 Dev Beta 5 Suggesting the Golden Master Is Near

Apple on Monday seeded the fifth beta version of its upcoming iOS 12.2 update to developers.

The new beta comes just one week after the previous build. More than that, iOS 12.2 beta 5 is fairly sparse when it comes to outward-facing changes. That means that most of its tweaks are under-the-hood.

Some miscellaneous additions include a new About screen for iPhone XS and XS Max, some minor design tweaks to the Apple News app, and a couple of slight animation changes.

iOS 12.2 beta 5’s timeline and the fact that it doesn’t contain many changes both suggest that the final, public-facing version of iOS 12.2 is nearing its release. It’s possible that iOS 12.2 will officially drop shortly after Apple’s rumored March 25 event.

While the latest beta build doesn’t add many new features, the iOS 12.2 update itself has a number of notable additions and changes.

There are four new Animoji characters, AirPlay 2 and HomeKit support for upcoming third-party smart TVs, Apple News support in Canada, and some new privacy controls for Safari on iOS.

The software update also contains a slew of design changes, including a new Apple News logo, a redesigned Wallet interface, ongoing changes to the Apple TV remote, and an updated Now Playing tile.

Notably, iOS 12.2 has a few hidden hints at upcoming Apple products. A new setup page buried within the beta suggests that AirPods with always-on Hey Siri are coming, and a similarly hidden signup page basically confirms that a premium Apple News subscription service is on the horizon.

You can see a fuller list of features and changes in our previous iOS 12.2 coverage.

iOS 12.2 beta 5 is now available from the Apple Developer Center, or as an over-the-air update if your device has the proper configuration profile.

A public beta version of iOS 12.2 beta 5 should be coming within the next couple of days. And it might come sooner, since iOS 12.2 public beta 4 dropped on the same day as the dev beta.

As always, beta software can be buggy. Try to avoid installing it on your daily drivers and fully back up your devices before you do.