Just a few short days after the official release of iOS 11.3, Apple started seeding the first iOS 11.4 developer beta yesterday. The new software is available on Apple’s Developer Center and over-the-air for devices with the ‘Developer’ device profile installed. Once a device is registered for the beta program, new updates can be simply installed over-the-air by going over to Settings > General > Software Update.
While the 11.3 was a massive update with numerous new features, enhancements and bug fixes, 11.4 promises to be a less elaborate affair, although it still brings a few new functionality to the table, including AirPlay 2 and Messages on iCloud, both of which were removed from iOS 11.3 just ahead of release. Stereo support for the HomePod is also included, but it requires unreleased HomePod beta firmware to work.
With Apple’s increasing focus on the education sector, the company is also introducing a new cloud-based iPad app called Schoolwork that was previewed last week. Aimed at students and educators, the app lets teachers create assignments for students, and is expected to be ready for primetime by this June. The app is supposed to work with ClassKit, a new API that integrates with a whole host of other applications, including Swift, Garageband, iWork and more. ClassKit was initially included in iOS 11.3 beta 2 last February, before being removed later.
Just as a refresher, Apple last week released the stable version of iOS 11.3 with numerous new features, such as Battery Health for monitoring the status of your iPhone battery, Business Chat in Messages, ARKit 1.5 with augmented reality improvements, new Animoji on iPhone X, and Health Records from participating medical providers (US-only), and more.
