Craig Federighi Admits Apple's Beta Programs Don't Interact or Influence the Desires of Many UsersTuesday, November 15, 2022 7:46 AM PST by Sami Fathi
Apple Senior Vice President of Software Engineering Craig Federighi acknowledged that the company is running beta testing. A program that offers developers and public beta testers access to beta versions of iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, tvOS, and macOS is not giving users the impact and experience they want.
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In an email exchange with MacRumors reader Kieran Federighi responded to a complaint that Apple's beta program was not effectively listening to user feedback and suggestions, noting the problem Apple faces when “literally millions of people participate in our b beta releases, and many, many, many of them want to leave feedback to help influence Apple's products.”
When users enroll in Apple's beta program, they are provided with a device profile that allows them to download early versions of Apple's next operating system, such as iOS 16 and macOS Ventura. Beta testing runs year-round, but is most notable after WWDC in June, which showcases new versions of Apple's operating systems before they're released to the public in the fall. During the summer, beta testers test the software, discover and report bugs, suggestions, and general comments about new updates.
To provide feedback to Apple, users can use the Feedback app and enter information about the error they are experiencing or a suggestion. However, feedback from beta users often goes unanswered by Apple. “I agree that the current approach is not giving many in the community what they would like in terms of engagement and influence,” admits Federighi. “We have not yet figured out how to achieve this in a practical and constructive way. We'll keep thinking,” he continued.
In the past, Apple has reacted quite harshly to feedback from beta users. changes and new features in iOS, iPadOS and macOS, but only after widespread criticism and coverage.
For example, last year Apple redesigned Safari on macOS Monterey after numerous user complaints, allowing users to choose between a promised design that was more polished and easier to use, or an older one. tab bar design. More recently, Apple also responded to the harsh criticism of Stage Manager on iPadoS 16 by completely delaying the release of iPadOS 16 and key new features until later this year.
While it's not clear what Apple will do to address the inefficiency and impact on the Apple operating system felt by beta users, Federighi acknowledged, we may see an updated approach for next year's batch. new updates that will include iOS 17 and macOS 14.
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