iOS 7 beta 4 points to iPhone 5S fingerprint scanner
In the run-up to the next iPhone and iPad, the fourth beta version of iOS 7 hints at a fingerprint scanner, and gets British roads right.
The latest version of iOS 7 is loose. In the run-up to the next iPhone and iPad, the fourth beta version of iOS 7 hints at a fingerprint scanner, and sees British map-readers feel more at home.
Beta 4 isn't available to the great unwashed yet, but developers have already tried a few versions of iOS 7, the next generation of iPhone and iPad software and the biggest ever restyling of Apple's mobile experience. iOS 7 is expected to make its public debut on the next iPhone this autumn.
iOS 7 beta 4 includes a range of bug fixes, as well as adjustments to the answer and call buttons and the lock screen. And there are a couple of interesting changes that point the way to the final release.
Some of the code in the beta release appears to confirm the long-rumoured fingerprint scanner expected to be built into the next iPhone. A folder called BiometricKitUI contains elements that point to a fingerprint recognition system built into the home button that will unlock the phone, expected to be called the iPhone 5S.
We've criticised Apple Maps at length before, but there's some good news for Britons: as spotted by software developer Amy Worrall, roads in beta 4 are now the right colours to match British maps, with motorways marked in blue and A roads coloured green. Now let's hope those roads go where they're supposed to.
A beta version of iTunes Radio also allows developers to try out the new streaming service on their MacBook or iMac, although the service isn't coming to the UK for the foreseeable future.
Is a fingerprint scanner a good idea? What do you want to see in iOS 7? Tell me your thoughts in the comments or on our Facebook page.