Two weeks after the original developer beta, Apple has released iOS 11.4 beta 2 for testing. iOS 11.4 includes unreleased features like AirPlay 2 and Messages on iCloud.  We’ll dig in to the new version and detail changes below.

  • Messages in iCloud has returned for testing after being included in iOS 11.3 beta and not the release
  • AirPlay 2 returns when used with tvOS 11.4
  • HomePod stereo support returns in beta, but requires unreleased HomePod beta firmware to work

See our hands-on video with beta 2 below:

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New in iOS 11.4

Messages in iCloud

iOS 11.4 beta includes Messages in iCloud for testing and evaluation purposes. Messages will prompt users to turn on Messages in iCloud on first launch after upgrading to iOS 11.4 beta. Please note that Messages in iCloud is automatically enabled for users who have two-factor authentication and iCloud Backup enabled.

Notes and Known Issues

AirPlay

Resolved Issues

  • When streaming a video from the YouTube app via Airplay, audio might lag behind the video by 2-3 seconds. (36833829)
  • When streaming a video from the YouTube app to a single Apple TV, only the audio might play out of the Apple TV. (36833829)

Keychain

  • The shared web credentials API always returns the error “Autofill disabled”. (36989569)

Music

  • In certain circumstances playback might get stuck at the end of the first track. (38806871)

Mobile Device Management

  • It’s not possible to skip all initial setup screens when using an MDM server configuration with Device Enrollment Program supervised devices. (36848833)

  • Setup crashes when ‘auto-advance’ is enabled in DEP profile. (38621837)

  • HomePod stereo pairing (which didn’t work without HomePod beta) removed from beta 2

  • Includes (PRODUCT)RED iPhone wallpaper on iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus (sorry iPhone X users)