Apple seeds third beta versions of iOS and iPadOS 13.6 for developers [Update: Public Beta Available]

Apple today sowed the third beta versions of upcoming iOS and iPadOS 13.6 developer updates, three weeks after sowing the second beta releases and more than a month after launching iOS / ‌iPadOS‌ 13.5 with Exposure Notification APIs, Face updates. Group IDs, FaceTime changes and more.

iOS and ‌iPadOS‌ 13.6 can be downloaded from the Apple Developer Center or wirelessly once the appropriate developer profile has been installed. Please note that Apple changed the version number of this beta with the second beta update. The first beta version to be released was iOS 13.5.5.

The iOS 13.6 update adds a lever to customize software updates, giving users more granular control over the download and installation of new software. IOS users can decide whether their iPhone or iPad should automatically download iOS updates when connected to WiFi, and when those updates should be installed.

There is an iOS update download switch to enable or disable automatic downloads via WiFi and an iOS update install switch to install software updates overnight as an “iPhone” charges. The new feature will be a welcome change for those who don’t want their iPhones to automatically download new software.

In the Health app, there is a new “Symptoms” section that allows users to add symptoms of various diseases, choosing options such as body and muscle aches, changes in appetite, cough, dizziness, fainting, headache, nausea and more.

Health app users can add symptom data through the Health app by tapping the “Add Data” option, providing a way to track and record various symptoms related to the disease over time and share that information with doctors .

iOS 13.6 also supports Car Key, a feature available in both iOS 13 and iOS 14. Car Key is designed to allow an queiPhone Apple or Apple Watch to be used instead of a physical key to unlock an NFC-enabled vehicle .

Car Key needs to be implemented by automakers to function, and BMW is one of Apple’s first partners. BMW’s Digital Key feature for ‌iPhone‌ will allow ‌iPhone‌ owners to tap to unlock their vehicles, start the car by placing the ‌iPhone‌ on the smartphone tray, impose limitations on young drivers and share keys with up to five other users.

In the Apple News app, iOS 13.6 adds a feature that is designed to save your place in an article when you start reading something and then exit the article or app.

Although the feature is not yet available, iOS and ‌iPadOS‌ 13.6 include signs of a new Apple News + Audio feature, which will cause Apple to offer some audio news.

Apple has been working with publishers to obtain permission to create audio versions of some stories. Apple also plans to offer a roundup of the day’s top stories for subscribers to hear.

The code in ‌iPadOS‌ 13.6 also suggests that Apple is working on keyboard shortcuts that will allow users who have a Magic Keyboard or other keyboard connected to adjust the brightness level of the keys, but it is unclear if this will be a feature included in the update.