Apple is all set to roll out two new updates to its iOS 8 platform in the coming month, ahead of the much anticipated release of the Apple Watch in April.
A report by BGR says Apple will release iOS 8.2 as early as March 2, although earlier rumors suggested the update will become available on March 9, on the same day as Apple's Spring Forward event, where it is expected to unveil more details about the Apple Watch. iOS 8.3, which comes with support for Apple's CarPlay and a revised emoji keyboard, is reported to follow soon after.
BGR has been fairly accurate about its predictions about iOS but to play safe it is important to take reports like this with a grain of salt. The report says it is possible that Apple could encounter "last-minute problems" that would delay the release of iOS 8.2.
iOS 8.2 has been in development since November, and Apple developers have had access to five beta versions of the update.
The update's latest beta became available last month via the iPhone's Settings or the iOS Development Center website. iOS 8.2 is expected to provide connectivity between the iPhone and the Apple Watch, which needs to be linked to an Apple device to enable basic functionalities and provide support for third-party apps.
The first 8.2 beta was made available mid-November, which gave developers access to Apple's WatchKit tools to create custom apps and notifications for the Apple Watch.
iOS 8.3, on the other hand, has had two beta versions released. The first one, which was released early in February, introduced CarPlay wireless connectivity and a redesigned emoji keyboard that features a transparent background and the ability to scroll through emoji more easily. The first beta also included two-step verification for Google when adding a Google account to an iOS device.
The second beta was released several days later to fix a bug in CarPlay that caused a non-functional dialog box when connecting CarPlay to an iPhone. Currently, iOS 8.3 still has issues with LTE Voice for devices on Verizon Wireless' network, but Apple is believed to roll out another two beta versions of iOS 8.3.
