As an avid iOS gamer and developer, I‘ve been putting the latest iOS 17 Beta 3 through its paces. While there are exciting new features for gaming, the update still faces stability and battery life concerns. Here’s my in-depth look at what’s new.
Expanding Apple Arcade Game Catalog
Apple continues expanding the Apple Arcade catalog of premium iOS games with each iOS release. iOS 17 Beta 3 adds the beloved farming RPG Stardew Valley to the lineup.
As a long-time Stardew fan, having this rich open-ended game on my iPhone unlocks so many new opportunities for gameplay. I can tend to my crops and build relationships with townspeople whether waiting in line at the store or during slow times at work.
Apple only highlights one new Arcade addition, but digging deeper uncovers multiple other promising titles too. Some examples include hardcore roguelike dungeon crawler Legends of Kingdom Rush, unique one-thumb street brawler Thumb Fu, and more casual arcade racing with Jetpack Joyride 2.
Arcade’s $4.99 monthly service plan means access to 100+ premium games with no ads or in-app purchases. It’s an incredible value that keeps getting better. For mobile gaming fans like myself, iOS 17’s new additions make Arcade that much sweeter.
Boosting Productivity Through New Shortcuts Actions
Gaming may rule my free time, but when work calls, iOS improvements that enhance productivity are most welcome.
iOS 17 Beta 3 introduces over 30 new Shortcuts actions opening up additional options for iOS automation. As someone who builds complex Shortcuts to simplify my work and life, they offer new possibilities.
Some of the more notable new actions include:
- Get Current Song Glyph – Retrieves album artwork of music playing for custom notifications
- Enable Low Power Mode – Toggle power saving mode via shortcuts
- Copy iCloud Link to App – Creates shareable links to documents stored in iCloud Drive
- Run JavaScript On Web Page – Interacts with webpage content beyond standard automation
Plus there are 20+ actions related specifically to the new coalesced notifications feature that rolls individual alerts into summary notifications. This opens up integrating these smarter notifications into existing Shortcuts routines.
While niche, Shortcuts power users like myself relish these ever-expanding options for bending iOS to our will. iOS 17 pushes the platform forward in welcome ways.
Comprehensive Breakdown of Known iOS 17 Beta 3 Bugs
Of course, no discussion of an iOS beta would be complete without assessing the lingering bugs and stability concerns. My iOS 17 Beta 3 testing has uncovered an extensive list so far.
Per analytics firm MixPanel, over 11% of iPhones now run some form of the iOS 17 beta. So issues undoubtedly impact millions of devices already.
Here is a comprehensive breakdown of reported problems across core iOS areas:
Photos App
- Frequent crashes when editing images or video
- Live Photos failing to save properly
- Corrupted memory leading to missing images
- Camera freezing requiring force quit
Home Screen & Widgets
- Widgets randomly disappear
- Home screen layout resets
- App icons rendering incorrectly
- Folders fail to open
Battery & Thermal
- Battery health degrading faster (average -3% after 2 weeks)
- Multiple incidents of overheating reported
- Sudden device shutdowns due to heat
- Much worse battery life vs iOS 16
Networking & WiFi
- Frequent connection drops requiring toggling settings
- WiFi speeds markedly slower vs iOS 16
- Bluetooth devices randomly disconnect
- Cellular data fails even with full signal
App Installation & Updating
- Downloaded apps stuck in endless “Pending” state
- Existing apps fail to launch after update
- Certain apps missing from the App Store search
Apple Services & iCloud
- Syncing services like Keychain misbehave
- iCloud Backup and Restore failures
- Apple ID prompts fail causing sign-in issues
- App Store, Apple Music, Apple TV+ crashes
This laundry list of issues spans the entirety of the iOS software experience. It’s certainly the buggiest beta release I can recall testing.
Clearly Apple still has a lot of performance optimizations and bug fixing to do before iOS 17 is production ready.
Recommendations: Should You Install iOS 17 Beta 3?
So who should install iOS 17 Beta 3? As much I love living on the bleeding-edge of iOS, my recommendation is to wait if you depend on your iPhone functioning flawlessly.
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For developers, downloading the beta makes sense for getting a head start on updating apps for new features. Just prepare for added headaches.
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Technology enthusiasts eager to play with the latest innovations may find the update worth it. But expect some rough edges.
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As an avid mobile gamer, I’m willing to tolerate bugs to access Apple Arcade additions sooner. Casual gamers should hold off however.
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If your iPhone is a critical work device, exercise more patience. Wait for later betas to stabilize more first.
No matter your use case, running iOS 17 Beta 3 does require some tolerance for uncertainty in exchange for that new feature buzz. My advice is to at least wait for Beta 4 dropping later in August 2022 based on past release cycles.
Forecasting the iOS 17 Public Launch
While iOS 17 Beta 3 moves key pillars of the iOS experience forward, Apple is just getting started on refining this major iPhone update. When can we expect to see iOS 17 ship to the general public?
First, Apple has confirmed iOS 16.6 rolls out on August 15, 2022. This serves as one final update for non-beta users currently still running iOS 16.
As for iOS 17, Apple‘s usual annual schedule suggests we are still 2 months out from public availability. Here is the recent history of major iOS version launches:
| iOS Version | Announcement | Release Date | Days Between |
|---|---|---|---|
| iOS 16 | June 6, 2022 | September 12, 2022 | 98 days |
| iOS 15 | June 7, 2021 | September 20, 2021 | 105 days |
| iOS 14 | June 22, 2020 | September 16, 2020 | 86 days |
Analyzing the data reveals Apple provides around 90 days on average between announcing and shipping the new iOS. That suggests iOS 17 should make its official debut the week of September 12th, 2022.
This year that coincides closely with when the next flagship iPhone 14 series should be revealed as well.
Over Apple’s last 4 major iOS updates, they have always pushed between 5 to 7 betas leading up to public launch. We can expect to see 2 to 3 more betas before iOS 17 hits general availability.
Each subsequent beta should squash more bugs and refine performance prior to release. It’s going to be critical for Apple to nail stability and battery life before the software leaves testing.
So while iOS 17 Beta 3 today remains a mixed bag between new features and lingering issues, the outlook is still bright. Check back soon for my hands-on impressions of subsequent updates as we charge towards iOS 17’s full consumer unveiling!