iOS 8 Beta 6, GM Release Date: Battery Drain an Issue for Beta 5 iPhone; While iPad Users and Developers Won’t Get Beta 6

It’s currently not possible to jailbreak an iOS 8.2 beta device (unless you want to get malware), but TaiG says it has a jailbreaking tool ready for when iOS 8.2 is finally released in its non-beta form. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Users of Apple’s iOS 8 beta have reported battery drain issues, and it seems like developers won’t be getting the sixth beta.

After iOS 8 beta 4 came out, users reported that their Apple devices were overheating while charging, gaming, or using iCloud, as well as serious battery drain issues.

While the overheating issue appeared to have been solved in iOS beta 5, users still reported severe battery drain issues.

User rrs0725 on MacRumors forum even his iPhone 5S lost four percent of battery life in about thirty minutes while in Airplane mode, and about thirty percent battery life per hour when “playing music via Bluetooth to a wireless speaker.”

With iOS 8 slated for a public launch some time in September, however, Apple does not have much time left to fix iOS 8.

Worse, developers won’t be able to tell if the issue has been resolved in subsequent beta versions because iOS 8 beta 6 is going to be made available for carriers and Apple’s partners only.

Regardless, Apple should still release a final version of the iOS 8 after beta 6, the iOS 8 GM.

The Cupertino company has not announced yet if they will be making the iOS 8 GM available to developers, or whether they will be releasing it only for carriers and partners again. 

As Apple should be announcing the iPhone 6 on September 9, the iOS 8 GM should be expected sometime in early September, given that Apple traditionally releases its GM version of the latest iOS two days before the launch of a new iPhone.

iOS 8, when it is publicly available, will be compatible for the iPhone 5S, iPhone 5, iPhone 5C, iPhone 4S, iPod Touch fifth-gen, iPad 2, iPad Air, iPad mini with Retina Display, iPad Mini, iPad 4, and iPad 3.