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Want to check out iOS 8.3? Apple just might let you (but make a backup)

Cupertino giant begins public beta program

Just days after releasing iOS 8.2 to the masses, Apple is allowing some users to check out the early builds of iOS 8.3.

The Cupertino idiot-tax operation has begun a limited public beta rollout for iOS 8.3 beta 3. Availability appears to be happening in phases, as some users report being able to access the beta and others (including Reg testers) have not yet been granted access.

The public beta will be the first build of iOS 8.3 available to the general public. Those with Apple Developer accounts have been able to download previous beta builds for the new version of iOS.

The new version of iOS 8 is said to offer improved performance for the CarPlay auto platform, and faster logins for Google services. It will also be the first version of iOS to introduce Apple's new multi-racial emoji lineup.

Before users go diving headlong into the new iOS 8.3 beta, a word of warning: beta releases are by nature a work in progress and can be very unstable. Apple has advised anyone running a beta build of their OS, be it iOS or OS X, to be sure to back up the device prior to installation and only run beta software on a non-essential device or disk partition.

Those who do install the iOS 8.3 beta and then decide to go back to the latest stable build (iOS 8.2) can do so by erasing the device and restoring from a backup. ®

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