Apple Seeds First Beta of iOS 12.1.1 to Public Beta Testers With FaceTime Improvements

Apple today seeded the first beta of an upcoming iOS 12.1.1 update to its public beta testing group, one day after seeding the same beta to developers and two days after the release of the iOS 12.1 update.

Beta testers who have signed up for Apple's beta testing program will receive the iOS 12.1.1 beta update over-the-air after installing the proper certificate on an iOS device.

groupfacetime
Those who want to join the beta testing program can sign up on Apple's beta testing website, which gives users access to iOS, macOS, and tvOS betas.

The iOS 12.1.1 update introduces some significant improvements to the FaceTime interface, and it re-adds the feature that's designed to let you take a Live Photo while on a FaceTime call.

In iOS 12.1.1, FaceTime features a reworked bottom bar that includes quick access buttons for muting a call and flipping the camera. Sliding up on the bottom bar brings up additional options with conversation participants.

Previously, FaceTime users were required to tap on three dots to access a secondary menu with these features.

The update also includes a new option in the Apple News app that lets you hide the side bar if desired.

Related Forum: iOS 12

Popular Stories

iOS 26

iOS 26.1 Coming Soon: New Features for Your iPhone and Release Date

Monday October 27, 2025 7:55 am PDT by
The upcoming iOS 26.1 update includes a handful of new features and changes for iPhones, including a toggle for changing the appearance of the Liquid Glass design, "slide to stop" for alarms in the Clock app, and more. Below, we outline key details about iOS 26.1. Release Date Given that Apple has yet to seed an iOS 26.1 Release Candidate, which is typically the final beta version, the...
iOS 26

6 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 26.1

Wednesday October 29, 2025 4:22 am PDT by
Apple is about to drop iOS 26.1, the first major point release since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least six notable changes and improvements to look forward to. We've rounded them up below. Apple has already provided developers and public beta testers with the release candidate version of iOS 26.1, which means Apple will likely roll out the update to all compatible...
maxresdefault

Apple TV 4K Could Still Launch Before 2025 Ends: All the Rumored Features

Monday October 27, 2025 4:51 pm PDT by
Apple is designing an updated version of the Apple TV 4K, and rumors suggest that it could come out sometime in the next couple of months. We're not expecting a major overhaul with design changes, but even a simple chip upgrade will bring major improvements to Apple's set-top box. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. We've rounded up all the latest Apple TV rumors. ...
iOS 26

Apple Seeds iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1, and macOS Tahoe 26.1 Release Candidates

Tuesday October 28, 2025 1:07 pm PDT by
Apple today provided developers and public beta testers with the release candidate versions of upcoming iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1, macOS Tahoe 26.1, tvOS 26.1, watchOS 26.1, and visionOS 26.1 updates for testing purposes. The RCs betas come a week after Apple released the fourth betas. The new betas can be downloaded from the Settings app on a compatible device by going to General > Software...
M6 MacBook Pro Feature 1

M6 MacBook Pro: Release Date, Pricing, and What to Expect

Monday October 27, 2025 9:15 am PDT by
Apple this month refreshed the 14-inch MacBook Pro base model with its new M5 chip, and higher-end 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips are expected to follow in early 2026. However, these machines will represent the final update to the current design, with Apple reportedly developing a completely new version of the MacBook Pro packed with next-generation hardware...
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

8 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 18 Pro

Thursday October 30, 2025 4:42 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth...
macos tahoe

Here Are Apple's Release Notes for macOS Tahoe 26.1

Tuesday October 28, 2025 1:21 pm PDT by
Apple today provided developers and public beta testers with the release candidate version of macOS Tahoe 26.1, which means the update will likely see a public launch next week. The release candidate includes notes on what's in the update, so we have a full picture of the new features that Apple has included. macOS Tahoe 26.1 adds AutoMix support over AirPlay, improved FaceTime audio...
ipad mini 7 feature blue

OLED iPad Mini: Release Date, Pricing, and What to Expect

Wednesday October 29, 2025 7:13 am PDT by
Rumors are stoking excitement for the next-generation iPad mini that Apple is reportedly close to launching. So what should we expect from the successor to the iPad mini 7 that Apple released over a year ago? Read on to find out. Processor and Performance Apple is working on a next-generation version of the iPad mini (codename J510/J511) that features the A19 Pro chip, according to...
M5 MacBook Pro

Waiting for New Macs? Apple Just Shared Bad News

Friday October 31, 2025 7:32 am PDT by
Apple has just given a strong indication that it will not be releasing any additional new Macs for the remainder of the year. Apple's CFO Kevan Parekh dropped the hint during the company's earnings call on Thursday:On Mac, keep in mind, we expect to face a very difficult compare against the M4 MacBook Pro, Mac mini, and iMac launches in the year-ago quarter.Parekh essentially gave a heads up ...

Top Rated Comments

tvguru Avatar
91 months ago
Glad they’re making it easy to flip the camera in FaceTime again. That was a huge pain with kids bouncing back and forth.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
WannaGoMac Avatar
91 months ago
Holy cow! Apple REDUCED the number of steps to do something?? They've been really good at hiding things away and then requiring multiple steps to do stuff that used to be front and center the last few years.
Insane they moved it into a menu at all!? One of the most useful features is flipping the camera, and they moved it because why??? Whomever did that should be fired, they clearly have no idea about useful interface design
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
urbanslaughter1997 Avatar
91 months ago
I can't believe they fixed the camera flip in FaceTime! I'm so glad. We ALL hated the way it was implemented in iOS12. I never imagined they'd fix it that fast. That's great news.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
NMBob Avatar
91 months ago
Holy cow! Apple REDUCED the number of steps to do something?? They've been really good at hiding things away and then requiring multiple steps to do stuff that used to be front and center the last few years.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AMTYVLE Avatar
91 months ago
Please with these people's faces already. I can't.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Guda.FL Avatar
91 months ago
I have to say Group FaceTime....did not have the beta. It's got a few bugs that were finding as im using it quite a bit more. Interface feels little sloppy un apple final product like...or just me.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)