Apple iOS 7.1 Release Date Nears: Company Rolls Out iOS 7.1 Beta 2; How To Download And Install It

Nearly a month after releasing the first iOS 7.1 beta in mid-November, Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) on Friday seeded the second beta of iOS 7.1 to its registered developers for testing. The iOS 7.1 beta 2 comes with the build number of 11D5115d, and is now available as an over-the-air (OTA) update or through Apple’s developer center.

According to the iOS 7.1 beta 2 release notes, the update fixes a bug with iTunes Match that would make large libraries to take longer time to load. The settings for “Touch ID & Passcode” have also been moved from general settings to the main settings menu, between the "Sounds" and "Privacy" settings. It also fixed a bug that caused all tones to sound like the default.

Check out more of the key changes introduced with the iOS 7.1 beta 2 here:

- Animations appear to be faster in iOS 7.1 beta 2

- Control Center has a new bounce animation, while a new label shows the audio source

- New list view toggle in the Calendar app

- A new "Button Shapes" option, which can be turned on to indicate where to tap

- “Dark keyboard” option introduced with beta 1 has been removed

- New iPad wallpaper

In addition to the iOS 7 beta 2, Apple also seeded new versions of the Apple TV beta software and Xcode 5.1 beta. For the iOS 7.1 beta 2 release notes, click here.

Meanwhile, a report from 9to5Mac said that the upcoming iOS 7.1 may include support for “iOS in the Car,” which allows users to connect an iOS device to a compatible car via either wireless or a USB cable. According to the report, the iOS 7.1 beta 2 has a toggle to enable or disable “Car Display” in the Restrictions Settings panel.

How To Get iOS 7.1 Beta 2

The iOS 7.1 beta 2 is available for the iPhone, iPad, iPad mini and the iPod touch. If you are a registered Apple developer, you can download the latest beta from the iOS Dev Center. Direct download links are given below:

iPad:

iPad Air (Model A1474)

iPad Air (Model A1475)

iPad mini (Model A1489)

iPad mini (Model A1490)

iPad (4th generation Model A1458)

iPad (4th generation Model A1459)

iPad (4th generation Model A1460)

iPad mini (Model A1432)

iPad mini (Model A1454)

iPad mini (Model A1455)

iPad Wi-Fi (3rd generation)

iPad Wi-Fi + Cellular (model for ATT)

iPad Wi-Fi + Cellular (model for Verizon)

iPad 2 Wi-Fi (Rev A)

iPad 2 Wi-Fi

iPad 2 Wi-Fi + 3G (GSM)

iPad 2 Wi-Fi + 3G (CDMA)

iPhone:

iPhone 5s (Model A1453, A1533)

iPhone 5s (Model A1457, A1518, A1528, A1530)

iPhone 5c (Model A1456, A1532)

iPhone 5c (Model A1507, A1516, A1526, A1529)

iPhone 5 (Model A1428)

iPhone 5 (Model A1429)

iPhone 4s

iPhone 4 (GSM Rev A)

iPhone 4 (GSM)

iPhone 4 (CDMA)

iPod touch:

iPod touch (5th generation)

Before installing the iOS beta 2, users are recommended to back up their devices.

In addition, if you are not an authorized Apple developer, but somehow got hold of the .ipsw files to install on your device, do not do that as it will check with Apple whether you are a registered developer. And if you are not, you may not be able to use your device and have to restore back to an earlier version. You will not be able to go back to iOS 7.1 beta 1 either.

Here are the steps for registered developers to install the iOS 7.1 beta 2 on their devices:

Step 1: Make sure you are on the latest version of iTunes.

Step 2: Download the iOS 7.1 beta 2 file.

Step 3: Connect the device to your computer, open iTunes and choose “Restore Your iPhone/iPad” with the iOS 7.1 beta 2 file that ends with “.ipsw”.

- Make sure to hold alt/option on Mac when you click “Restore”.

- On Windows, hold Shift when you click “Restore”.

Users should note that the device should be connected to power during the installation. Once the entire process is complete, the device may reboot a couple of times.