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Apple iOS 11.2 Public Beta 3 "Control Center Explainer Edition" - Here's How To Download

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Turning off Wi-Fi gives you a similar tool tip

Anthony Karcz

Another week, another iOS 11.2 Public Beta build! As Apple marches towards the release of the latest iOS 11 update, we'll be seeing releases like these once a week for the next two or three weeks. Even though Thanksgiving is next week, we'll still likely see Public Beta 4 next Monday (or maybe over the weekend), with Public Beta 5 (or a possible Gold Master release) the following week.

This week, Apple slipped a new bit of UI tweaking into the mix. Remember how iOS 11 changed the behavior of the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth toggles in the Control Center till no one was really sure what they meant anymore? Well, now they tell you, exactly, what they do when you toggle them off via new pop-up tool tips.

What else new in iOS 11.2 Public Beta 3? From what I can tell from the changelog, not a whole lot. Besides fixing the calculator bug and adding AirPlay support for the upcoming HomePod, this PB cycle is all about testing out the new Apple Pay Cash. It's the big feature release for this version. Now that it's been activated on our beta iDevices, I wouldn't expect to see much else.

Do yourself a favor, though, go to Settings > Wallpaper and check out the new Dynamic wallpapers released in iOS 11.2 Public Beta 2. They're some of the prettiest that Apple has put out in a long time.

You can launch Settings > General > Software Update right now and grab the latest version of the iOS 11.2 Public Beta.

Not in the Public Beta Program yet and need to get started? I've got you covered.

Signing Up For The Apple Beta Program

First off, head over to https://beta.apple.com/ and sign in with your enrolled Apple ID (or create a beta account if you don't have one already). The steps in my installation gallery have everything you need to know in case you get stuck.

As evidenced by 11.2 Public Beta 1 users being unable to restore their backups to the iPhone X, iOS 11.2 is beta software and Apple makes it extremely clear in the agreement you scroll past on the way to the Agree button that it can do anything up to and including bricking your device and corrupting your data.

Wait A Minute Honey, Gotta...Back It Up

Before you download the beta client, it is vital that you plug in your iPhone to your laptop or desktop computer and take advantage of the iTunes Archive tool for iOS. Under the settings for your iPhone (in the Library if you can't find it), select the On This Computer option, and then click the Back Up Now button. This way, down the line, when the unexpected happens, you'll have a stable backup that that you can use to restore your device.

One thing that Apple won't tell you is that, if you want to save all your Health data, you'll need to encrypt the backup when given the choice. So make sure you encrypt it!

Restoring Your Backup

If everything does go wrong and the Public Beta doesn't agree well with your hardware, you'll need your backup to get back on track. Here's how to get everything back to factory specs, depending on what type of iPhone you have. Plug in your iPhone and then:

  • If you have an iPhone 6, turn off your iPhone, hold down the Home button and plug it in to your computer.
  • If you have an iPhone 7 or 8, you'll need to press and hold the Lock/Wake button and then the Volume Down button simultaneously (since the Home button is virtual).
  • For the iPhone X, it's a three step process;
  1. Press and quickly release the Volume Up button.
  2. Press and quickly release the Volume Down button.
  3. Press and hold the Sleep/Wake button until the Apple logo displays.

Once your iPhone is in Recovery Mode, follow the steps in iTunes to restore your archived backup.

Remember, any time you want, you can hop off the beta release train by deleting your beta profile. But if you do it before a major iOS 11 release, you'll be stuck with your current software unless you restore from a backup. Keep that in mind before installing beta software on your main iDevice.

Wondering what you need to watch out for when beta testing? Read my "Three Things" guide.

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