Apple iOS 8.2 beta 4 released to developers

Apple has released iOS 8.2 beta 4 to developers registered in the iOS developer program. This is the first iOS release for the year, and follows iOS 8.2 beta 3 which was released to developers in December.

iOS 8.2 is a significant update for the platform as it adds support for the Apple Watch, while enabling AppleKit for developers. With AppleKit, developers will be able to build great experiences that integrate traditional iOS and the Watch-based version of the platform.

The last major update to iOS 8.0 was iOS 8.1, which introduced Apple Pay for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus users. With Apple Pay, users will be able to perform seamless, contactless transactions on their flagship Apple smartphones.

iOS 8.2 beta 4 (build number 12D5461b) will likely bundle a number of performance enhancements as well as the usual array of bug fixes. We will update this post if we come across any new features, but we welcome developers to share anything they discover within the update in the comments section below.

[UPDATE] [1/13/15] Based on what we are learning from iOS 8.2 beta 4, it looks like pairing devices with Apple Watch will be typically  painless and simple. After the update, you will find a dedicated menu within Bluetooth settings, for pairing devices with Apple Watch.

The Bluetooth settings panel also indicates that an Apple Watch app will also be present with iOS 8.2 and will allow syncing your wearable with your iOS device. Its currently not known if this app will be bundled within iOS or available as a separate download.

As we mentioned before, the iOS 8.2 beta 4 update is available to developers signed up for Apple’s iOS Developer program, which costs $99 per year.If you're a developer, head over to the iOS Dev Center to download all the necessary bits to get started with the Apple Watch development.