Apple has seeded iOS 7 beta 4 to developers today. The release comes one week late because Apple’s Developer Center was hacked last week and all the systems were shut down for a few days while the company worked to restore them. This delayed the release of the new beta of iOS 7, which typically comes every two weeks.
The file is somewhat of a large download this time, so we’ll have to see what that could mean once the release notes are posted and once it actually installs. As always, it’s available in the Settings app via an OTA update. If you’ve been eagerly waiting for three weeks to get your hands on the next beta, waste no more time!
Update: The first noticeable changes are in. As you might expect, there is a plethora of bug fixes in this release, so be on the hunt throughout beta 4 to spot any of those pleasant improvements. There’s some notable UI tweaks as well.
Confusion over which way to slide the lock screen has been alleviated because the Control Center arrow has been turned into a dash and a “>” symbol has been added before the “slide to unlock” text on the lock screen.
Many call buttons look different as well. Apple has opted for rounded edges on the decline, answer, and call buttons now. The HDR button in Camera is up at the top with the other settings where it belongs. Surnames don’t fully display in Messages conversations anymore, instead just showing the first letter of the last name of the contact.
These are all examples of the many UI improvements you’ll find in iOS 7 beta 4. Keep exploring because there are more discoveries to be made!