IOS 11 Beta 2: 25 innovations and changes

System iOS 11 Beta 2 is finally released (we are gradually approaching the first public beta) and although there are no big changes in the user interface, the first thing that catches your eye is the fix of a large number of bugs. There is no doubt that the second beta is much more comfortable to use than the first.

A list of all the innovations and changes in the new beta version iOS 11 is given below.

1. Disabling the 'Show recent' option in the dock on iPad

On the right side of the new device dock iPad there is a section for the three most used applications, which can be turned off in 'Settings' -> 'General' -> 'Multitasking'.

2. Now it is possible to enable message synchronization via iCloud

3. Disabling the display of the Control Center in applications

Now in Settings there is an option to turn off the display of the Control Center when using applications.

5.In Settings, there is a mode 'Do not disturb' while driving

In the 'Do not disturb' section of 'Settings', the 'Do not disturb while driving' mode has been added.

5. Advanced settings in Safari

In the advanced settings section, there are new options to enable experimental settings such as 'CSS Spring Animations', 'WebGPU', 'Web Animations' and others.

6. Album Art is displayed on the lock screen widget

The 'Now playing' option on the locked screen and in the Notification Center has received its portion of updates – Album Art is now displayed correctly, even when listening to music through a third-party application.

7. There was a button AirPlay on the locked screen

Most importantly, there is now a shortcut to the button AirPlay right on the 'Now Playing' screen, which makes it more comfortable to switch between audio outputs. Previously, this option was deeply hidden in the bowels of the Control Center, now it has become more accessible from anywhere in the OS.

8.New animation on the locked screen

When you swipe down to call the Notification Center while listening to music, a new animation appeared in the form of several 'bounces' of the window itself.

9. Improved search in the 'Music' application

In the Music app, the search assistant has become much smarter, now you can view contextual results. When searching for an artist, you can now go directly to the corresponding page.

10. Extension 'Save to Files'

Now we know how to add files to the 'Files' application – use the 'Save to Files' item.

Select the file and click “Share” to select a new option. This option replaces 'Add to iCloud Drive'.

11. There are third-party cloud services in the 'Files' application

In beta 1, the 'iCloud Drive' option was active as the file storage location. Now, there are additional options: 'OneDrive' and 'Box'. But this is not new in itself, it is just an implementation of the old Document Picker functionality in the new Files application.

12. Updated effects in the 'Messages' application

The Echo effect in the iMessage app is now orange, which is worse than the blue before.

13. Updating the 'Music' widget in the Control Center

The design of the 'Music' widget in the Control Center has slightly changed, now the text is perceived more easily and is more evenly distributed.

14.Updated 'Music' window in the Control Center

When you gesture 3D Touch on the 'Music' widget, an enlarged volume slider appears, which is much easier to control.

15. During the games, the Control Center began to work better

In Beta 1, it was almost impossible to call the Control Center while playing or in another application. Now, when you swipe up, the 'grabber' window appears with a new design, when you swipe up again, we get the Control Center.

16. Long press on the screenshot preview

This is a really great innovation. A long press on the screenshot preview that appears in the lower left corner will take you directly to the Shared Files page, which speeds up the way to add this screenshot to a conversation or another application.

17. 'Energy Saving' widget is now monochrome

In Beta 1, when the power saving mode was activated, the corresponding switch changed its color to yellow, which reflected the color of the battery icon in this mode. Now the switch remains monochrome, only the background changes – it becomes light.

18. Boldface font in the Calendar application icon

The application icon font has become bolder, making it easier to read the current date.

19. You can change the transparency of the 'Assistive Touch' tools

You can now change the transparency of Assistive Touch tools. If you are an avid user of this functionality, then now you can make these buttons less intrusive.

20. New options in the bookmark switcher in Safari

A long press on the bookmark switcher in Safari brings up new options: you can open a new private tab and close the current one.

21. Fixed bug in 'Music' widget

One of the most annoying bugs in Beta 1 was a bug where the Now Playing window would not disappear on the locked screen even after stopping music playback and closing the app. Now, in Beta 2, this window disappears without issue.

22. New user interface 'AirPlay'

If you click on the 'AirPlay' icon in any application, a pop-up menu appears with a new user interface, where you can select any audio output, as it is implemented in the Control Center.

23. The volume indicator is back

In Beta 1, we were all happy with the small size of the volume indicator. It turned out that this was a bug in this build. Unfortunately, in Beta 2, they returned to their previous sizes.

24. Gestures 3D Touch work better

Gestures 3D Touch now work on any app icons on the Home screen and in the Photos app.

25. Correction of common errors

iOS 11 Beta 2 'fixed' a lot of bugs. From pixelated images in the Photos app to the correct export of photos in JPEG format.

Have you installed beta version iOS 11?

Have you already installed the beta version iOS 11 on your device or are you waiting for the public beta release? Do you like the current versions iOS 11? Share your experience with iOS 11 in the comments below.