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iPadOS 17 beta 8 now available to developers ahead of September release

Published Aug 29th, 2023 1:06PM EDT
All-new Health app with iPadOS 17
Image: José Adorno for BGR

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A week after releasing iPadOS 17 beta 7, Apple is now seeding beta 8 to registered developers. As we near the final release of the upcoming operating system update, the company is now making new updates available on a weekly basis.

iPadOS 17 beta brings a revamp to the Lock Screen. There are stock wallpapers like Astronomy and Kaleidoscope, or you can choose a photo from your library. This system also brings an all-new motion effect for Live Photos that makes your Lock Screen feel more dynamic when you wake the iPad and settles into your Home Screen when unlocked.

iPadOS 17 beta also introduces Live Activities, which helps you stay on top of things happening in real time, such as food orders, flights, sports scores, and more.

In addition, widgets on your Lock Screen allow you to see information like the weather, time, date, battery levels, or upcoming events at a glance. There are also interactive widgets on your Home Screen, which let you play music, turn off the lights, and more right from a widget.

Image source: José Adorno for BGR

iPadOS 17 beta introduces the Health app with a design optimized for a larger display. You can see rich details in favorites, review trends and highlights, and use interactive charts. You can create medication reminders, track your menstrual cycle, and log symptoms right from your iPad.

In addition, Safari got lots of new features. Now, you can create a profile to keep your browsing, history, extensions, Tab Groups, cookies, and favorites separated for topics like Work and Personal.

Apple says Search in Safari with Mac is also more responsive and shows easier-to-read and more relevant suggestions. Another feature is web apps that come to your dock. You can launch a web app to get an app-like experience with a simplified toolbar.

Apple is also enhancing private browsing by letting you lock your private browsing windows when you’re not using them with iPadOS 17 beta. It completely blocks known trackers from loading on pages and removes tracking added to URLs as you browse.

For Passwords, Apple now lets you share a set of passwords with your trusted contacts. You can create a group and choose a set of accounts to share. Passwords stay up to date for everyone in the group, and you can remove someone at any time.

Alongside iPadOS 17 beta 8, Apple is making available the eighth beta version of iOS 17, watchOS 10, and tvOS 17. 

BGR will update this article as we learn more about new features. A new public beta version should also be available soon.

José Adorno Tech News Reporter

José is a Tech News Reporter at BGR. He has previously covered Apple and iPhone news for 9to5Mac, and was a producer and web editor for Latin America broadcaster TV Globo. He is based out of Brazil.