iOS 17.1 beta two is now available for developers, as well as updates for watchOS, macOS, and tvOS.

By Levi Gobin, 3 October, 2023

Forum
Apple Beta Releases

Apple just dropped new beta’s for iOS 17.1.
I hope they added the new ringtones back.
If you find any other features and or bugs, please feel free to leave them here.
I’ve not installed it yet but it’s currently downloading so I’ll post my findings when it’s installed

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Comments

By Dennis Long on Friday, October 6, 2023 - 16:53

I report this and said give the user the option to choose. try tone should be the default. a Notification sound is useless if it can't be heard. everyone needs to report this.

By Ann Marie B on Friday, October 6, 2023 - 16:53

I will download the public beta when it becomes available. I hope the new ringtones are back and that you have the option to use them for other alerts such as texts or emails. :)

By Levi Gobin on Friday, October 6, 2023 - 16:53

I’m just gonna stop you there. The new ringtones are back, but same issue as an iOS 17.0. You can’t use them as the opposite type. For example, you can’t use reflection as an alert tone, and you can’t use alert tones as ringtones. One interesting thing however is some of the haptics have changed again for some of the sounds. Notification sound rebound now has a longer haptic, but it’s still very quiet

By Ann Marie B on Friday, October 6, 2023 - 16:53

Hopefully Apple fixes the ringtone issue when the public release of 17.1 is available. I will just have to deal with it for now.

By neosonic2 on Friday, October 6, 2023 - 16:53

Because as you know, dedicated Apple News sites like 9to5Mac, AppleInsider, MacRumors, etc., and paid news reporters whose job it is to present this information (and do so in a much better manner than someone posting to this forum, I might add), don't exist. Yes, can you believe it, this forum is the only way for us blind users to find out that new Apple beta software releases are available, because we have no way to use our assistive technology to subscribe to or at least read professional news sources who provide more in-depth content on new releases than we could ever get here on the forums. So please, continue doing what you're doing, providing a valuable service by posting information about new beta releases when they come out...or better yet, just leave that to the professionals, post links here in the forums if you want, and ultimately save yourself the typing.

Don't you just love sarcasm? :)

And now, an announcement from an actual news source on today's beta software releases: https://9to5mac.com/2023/10/03/17-1-betas/

By Tyler on Friday, October 6, 2023 - 16:53

Member of the AppleVis Editorial Team

I think the reason these types of threads are created by AppleVis community members is to facilitate and consolidate discussion about new features, bug fixes, and new bugs for blind and low vision users in each seed. In my opinion, this is helpful as such information is often hard to come by elsewhere, particularly on the mainstream Apple News sites you referenced.

By ming on Friday, October 6, 2023 - 16:53

and the sound is increase a bit.
I hope sometime we can change the notification sounds
but, it is a little bit loud this time

By Mlth on Friday, October 6, 2023 - 16:53

Your tone leaves much to be desired in my opinion. I agree that it's slightly distracting when there is more than one thread about general discussion of one particular beta release, but in this case there isn't. Furthermore the topic is in the proper forum for beta discussion, and as Tyler rightly points out, there isn't really any other source covering VoiceOver/assistive tech particulars of the betas, so where else would one exchange info on that?

By Andy Lane on Friday, October 6, 2023 - 16:53

Let’s get back to doing what this forum is set up for and discussing whats improved or degraded in the latest beta. It’s all to easy to be distracted by those who don’t want to play nice. I’ve fallen into the trap myself but I wish I’d just shook my head and moved on.

By Chris Hill on Friday, October 6, 2023 - 16:53

I the current public beta, my bluetooth keyboards won't connect and stay that way; any hope on that front?

By Bingo Little on Friday, October 6, 2023 - 16:53

it's not something I've really noticed myself but there was a lot of chat about some of the voices, notably UK voice 3 Yvette Cooper/Angela Rayner, being a bit scratchy or choppy. Nobody's said anything more about this. has it been expunged?

One thing I'd also like to know about notifications: no, not the sounds (I'm ambivalent about those, if I'm honest, as I like the haptics on phone and watch) but there was a bug a while back where if you had Voiceover set to speak incoming notifications it would interrupt what it was reading in the middle of a paragraph rather than waiting till the end of the paragraph as it did in old IOS versions. Is this still happening, or can I be reading my paper, receive a notification and know that Voiceover will read me what it says when it gets to a convenient pause in the text?

By KE8UPE on Friday, October 6, 2023 - 16:53

In beta 2, the bug which prevented Voiceover from reading audio message transcripts has been fixed.
Now though, I don't know how one would go about playing an audio message, especially, on an ipad?
On the phone, you can play an audio message, just by putting the phone to your ear.

By Siobhan on Friday, October 6, 2023 - 16:53

I suspect the bug with notifications interrupting is present still owing to the fact, I can't remember when it didn't annoy the absolute hell outta me when it was doing that. :) Also this whole flip out about wanting to choose notification sound as default is completely ridiculous. The only thing i agree with, wanting back, is the ability to customize text and ringtones, so I answer, Hi uncle Mike, or Ah hell, what idiot? To my brother when he calls. I suspect apple has changed and yet again there are naysayers. accept or update to as secure as your OS allows and be complacent with that. Technology changes, Either accept it, grump and deal, or get angry and complain on here to which not much shall be achieved accept your ability to be right because you said so. :) ;)

By Ann Marie B on Friday, October 6, 2023 - 16:53

I can take her leave the default notification sound. It has got a little louder and more pronounced. As far customization of text alerts and the like I hope that is fixed in the next few betas or the RC. When I go to sounds and haptics my purchase tone is still under text alerts but I can’t customize ringtones as text alerts.

By Daniel Angus M… on Friday, October 6, 2023 - 16:53

The bug with Bluetooth keyboards not working with VoiceOver has been fixt as of developer beta 2.

By Bhavik Vyas on Friday, October 6, 2023 - 16:53

"There is a new 'Dictate' button after every search field, such as in settings, after the search field. This button allows us to directly dictate our input. This feature is available not only in the App Store but also in all Apple native apps."

By Graham on Friday, October 6, 2023 - 16:53

Hi, Does anyone know if the issue with the weather app has been resolved?
Kind regards

Graham

By Holger Fiallo on Friday, October 6, 2023 - 16:53

Yes. Heard from some who got the beta and they say yes.

By a king in the north on Friday, October 6, 2023 - 16:53

Not sure if anyone else has the problem, but I'm not able to use the Alex voice anymore. All I get is compressed Samantha.

By ming on Monday, November 6, 2023 - 16:53

hi!
just update to the latest beta. I think it is beta 3.
and i found it fixed some issues.
the mail notification is back.
and also some of the talking clock apps work again.
the voice over clock or voice clock still can not work.

By Holger Fiallo on Monday, November 6, 2023 - 16:53

Yes. Beta 3 Letter A. Maybe next week the RC.

By ming on Monday, November 6, 2023 - 16:53

@Holger Fiallo
wow! the subject scared me.
I thought I said something wrong.
anyway,
it is getingbetter...

By JC on Monday, November 6, 2023 - 16:53

Hi all, what talking clocks app work on iOS 17.1 beta 3? does Diii notify work with sound notifications? I remember with banners disabled, it used to do all sound notifications, but at least for iOS 17, it stopped working. has it been restored on iOS 17.1 beta 3? let me know. thanks in advance.

By ming on Monday, November 6, 2023 - 16:53

DIII Notifiy hourly chime
‎Diii Notify - hourly chime
‎Diii helps you manage your notifies easily, and you can add or remove notifies with the batch tool. you can use a custom sound as the notification sound, notify you to do something such as going to sleep, it works nice even your iPhone is locked. Key Features: - Hourly time report for you - Custom…
apps.apple.com
https://apps.apple.com/app/id1001398032

By JC on Monday, November 6, 2023 - 16:53

Everything appears to be working as normal. Finally updated my phone to iOS 17.1 beta 3. I have notice something in the status bar. when you tap near the top of the status bar with VO, instead of hearing, for example 9:51 PM, it now says, 9,51. more simpler.. that is cool. and you indeed get that flashlight status in the Dynamic Island. and finally, you can now red audio message transcripts with VOiceOver! I sent an audio message, and VoiceOver was able to read the entire audio message transcript perfectly. Keep in mind, though, when you use it with VoiceOver, be sure to either have earbuds on, or disable speech. otherwise, voiceover speech will come through the audio message transcript. Just be aware of that when you record your audio message. oh, one more thing, Diii notify once again works! all sound notifications work as intended.. Yay! I'm happy. Good job apple.

By ming on Monday, November 6, 2023 - 16:53

I hope sometime or later we can custom the notification's tones.
like each apps can have different tones for it's notification...

By Holger Fiallo on Monday, November 6, 2023 - 16:53

Well updated to it but do not like that whenever I get a notification, I hear the time. Bug? 13 pro.

By ming on Monday, November 6, 2023 - 16:53

hi!
I am going to send my suggestion to apple accessibility team.
and teling them that hope we can customies notification sounds for different apps and services.
in the up coming updates
hope you will do so.
and make it happen...

By Holger Fiallo on Monday, November 6, 2023 - 16:53

Suggest for them to fix the bug with the clock and notification. Do not care knowing the time everytime I get a notification. Please with sugar.

By Holger Fiallo on Monday, November 6, 2023 - 16:53

Hello, all. Is there a way to stop Siri from continue to listen after I ask her something? Want the old way. Thought there is a way but do not recall. Want to have Siri ending after I do something with her. Do not care for the new feature in which you can ask another question without using the word siri. Help. Thanks.

By Hand2Mouth on Monday, November 6, 2023 - 16:53

If I say "Go away" after I make a request, she usually says "Okay" and ends. Or if I wait a moment or two, she leaves on her own. I haven't found anything in the Siri or Accessibility settings about turning that aspect off altogether, though, unless I missed something.

By ming on Monday, November 6, 2023 - 16:53

well, for me...
I usually don't use hey siri or siri to call siri to do something.
I always press the side button to ask her or he to do something
and when I finish. just press the side button to let it go away .