Apple iOS 10
Craig Federighi, Senior Vice President of Software Engineering for Apple Inc., announces that the company's Siri assistant for iOS will be opened for developers at the company's World Wide Developers Conference in San Francisco, California, U.S. June 13, 2016. Reuters/Stephen Lam

Apple has formally released the first iOS 11 public beta for folks enrolled in the Apple beta testing program. While plenty of new features are expected, it means that the clock is ticking on iOS 10 jailbreakers since the Cupertino company is nearing the stage of moving on to another version of the major mobile operation system.

In a previous post, Liang Chen of Tenent Keen Lab claims to have come up with an iOS 11 jailbreak. Cheng is a relatively new face in the mix who may eventually pick up from what Pangu and Lucas Todesco failed to do. At any rate, his achievement may not be too overwhelming since his breakthrough was done via the beta version – meaning Apple can easily patch it up and move forward.

For eager beavers, trying the crack the public beta themselves could be possible. But with or without the intent to jailbreak the OS, Apple device owners are advised to proceed with caution since bugs are expected along the way. Hence, those who dare apply the first public beta of iOS 11 on their phones are advised to back up their device before doing anything for obvious reasons.

There are plenty of neat things to look forward to in iOS 11. These include changes to the operating system, a new Lock Screen and a customisable Control Center, Mac Rumors reports. A smarter Siri will carry a natural voice plus improved messaging, music and notes features for Apple owners to look forward to.

There is also a new Fill app to aid in proper management of iOS-run devices, while iPad owners can also check out a new Dock, an App Switcher and support for Drag and Drop. There are obviously a lot in store for Apple device owners, though the ones expected to be initially seen are far from perfect. At some point, devices could hang or get bricked, albeit the reason why folks who intend to try it out are encouraged to back up their device for good measure.

iOS 11 is expected to go through the different beta stages before the final version is rendered. There are still security issues tied to it, but the Cupertino company has the luxury of time to address those. iOS 11 is likely to come out alongside the iPhone 8, believed to be in September.