News
Apple’s Surprise Move: iOS 17 Developer Beta Now Open to All Users at No Charge

Apple has made a surprising move by making the iOS 17 developer beta and other betas available for free to all registered developers. This decision marks a departure from the previous practice of requiring a $99/year developer account to access these beta builds.
Users first became aware of the change when they noticed the availability of the iOS 17 developer beta for installation, even in the absence of a developer account. Initially believed to be a bug, it has now been confirmed by Apple as an intentional shift in their approach.

The announcement was made on Apple’s Developer website, where they outlined the new free and paid membership options. While the betas are now free to access without the $99 fee, individuals are still required to sign up and register as developers.

To install the iOS 17 beta, users are advised to follow a few steps. Firstly, it is recommended to create a fresh backup of their iPhone or iPad in case they decide to downgrade to iOS 16.4. Then, by navigating to Settings > General > Software Update, they can select the Beta Updates button and choose the Developer Beta option. If needed, users can also change their Apple ID associated with the beta. The iOS 17 Developer Beta will appear for download and installation.
However, some users might not immediately see the option to enable beta updates or the iOS 17 beta itself. In such cases, Apple suggests quitting and relaunching the Settings app and ensuring that the device is running at least iOS 16.4. If these steps do not work, signing in with the Apple ID at developer.apple.com and retrying the process is recommended.
The iOS 17 developer beta is approximately 3 GB in size and comes with certain device compatibility changes. Apple has dropped support for specific devices with this release.
iOS 17 brings various new features and improvements, including updates for Messages, FaceTime, Phone, a new landscape “StandBy” always-on feature, and more. It is important to note that the developer beta may contain bugs and performance issues, so it is advised not to install it on primary devices.
While Apple has not revealed the reason behind this sudden decision to offer the developer beta for free, it is likely to encourage more developers to explore and provide feedback on the upcoming iOS version. The move is expected to foster a larger and more diverse developer community, ultimately leading to enhanced software quality and user experiences. The first iOS 17 public beta is scheduled for release in July, following the initial availability of the developer beta.
Overall, this shift in policy by Apple has been met with excitement from developers and users alike, who can now explore the latest iOS features and contribute to the development process without any financial barrier.
How to Install iOS 17 Developer Beta
To install the iOS 17 developer beta, you can follow these steps:
- Make sure to create a fresh backup of your iPhone or iPad before proceeding. This is important in case you want to revert back to iOS 16 or encounter any issues.
- Launch the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad that is running at least iOS 16.4.
- Scroll down and tap on “General.”
- In the General settings, select “Software Update.”
- On the Software Update page, you should see a new option called “Beta Updates.” Tap on it. Note that it may take a moment for this option to appear.
- Now, choose “Developer Beta” from the available options.
- If you need to change the Apple ID associated with the beta, you can tap on it at the bottom of the screen and make the necessary adjustments.
- Once you have selected the Developer Beta option, tap on “Back” to return to the Software Update page.
- Look for the iOS 17 Developer Beta update, which should now appear. Tap on “Download and Install” to begin the installation process.

If you are unable to see the option to turn on beta updates or the iOS 17 update doesn’t appear:
- Try quitting the Settings app completely and relaunching it.
- Double-check that your device is running at least iOS 16.4. If not, you’ll need to update to that version before you can access the beta option within the Settings.
- If the issue persists, sign in with your Apple ID at developer.apple.com for free. Once signed in, try the steps mentioned above again.
Please note that installing the developer beta comes with certain risks, such as bugs and performance issues. It is recommended to install the beta on a secondary device and not on your primary device, as it may impact the overall functionality of your device.
AI
Legal AI Startup Legora Raises $550 Million to Accelerate U.S. Expansion

Legora Secures Major Funding to Expand AI in the Legal Industry
Legal AI Startup Legora Gains Momentum With $550 Million Investment
Legal AI startup Legora has secured $550 million in fresh funding, marking one of the largest investments in the rapidly growing legal technology sector. The funding round values the company at approximately $5.55 billion and is expected to significantly accelerate the company’s expansion in the United States.
The investment highlights the increasing demand for artificial intelligence tools within the legal industry, where automation and intelligent data analysis are transforming traditional workflows. Legora focuses on building AI-powered solutions that help law firms and corporate legal teams streamline tasks such as legal research, document review, contract analysis, and case preparation.
According to reports, the funding round attracted participation from several prominent venture capital firms, including Accel, Benchmark, Bessemer Venture Partners, General Catalyst, and Y Combinator. Their continued support signals strong confidence in the role AI will play in reshaping legal services.
Legora plans to use the newly raised capital to strengthen its presence in the United States, which represents one of the world’s largest legal markets. The company intends to expand its workforce significantly, with plans to hire more than 300 employees in the region over the coming years. These hires will focus on engineering, product development, and customer support to help scale its AI-driven legal tools.
Artificial intelligence is increasingly being integrated into legal workflows as firms seek faster and more efficient ways to process large volumes of documents and data. Platforms like Legora enable lawyers to automate repetitive tasks while improving accuracy and reducing time spent on manual research.
Industry experts believe that legal technology startups are entering a new growth phase as law firms become more open to adopting digital solutions. With its latest funding and ambitious expansion strategy, Legora aims to position itself as a major player in the global legal AI market.
As artificial intelligence continues to reshape professional services, investments like this demonstrate how technology is redefining the future of legal work.
Source: Reuters
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Android
Google Introduces Android Bench: New Benchmark Ranks Best AI Models for Android App Development

What is Android Bench and Why Google Created It
Android Bench is a newly introduced benchmark developed by Google to evaluate how effectively artificial intelligence models can assist in Android app development. The tool is designed to measure the real-world performance of AI coding models by testing their ability to complete practical Android development tasks. With AI becoming increasingly integrated into software development workflows, benchmarks like Android Bench aim to provide developers with a clearer understanding of which models perform best.
Google created Android Bench to simulate realistic development scenarios rather than simple coding challenges. The benchmark focuses on tasks commonly encountered by Android developers, including working with Jetpack Compose, implementing application architecture, handling asynchronous operations with coroutines, and managing UI logic. By evaluating AI models in these real-world conditions, the benchmark provides a more accurate representation of how useful they are for developers.
According to the benchmark results, several leading AI models have already been evaluated. Google’s Gemini 3.1 Pro currently ranks at the top of the leaderboard, demonstrating strong performance in generating Android-specific code and solving complex development problems. Other high-performing models include Claude Opus 4.6, GPT-5.2 Codex, Opus 4.5, and Gemini 3 Pro. These models were tested on their ability to generate functional code, follow Android development best practices, and solve structured programming challenges.
The introduction of Android Bench highlights the growing competition among AI companies to create models that can assist developers more effectively. As AI coding assistants become more common in integrated development environments, benchmarks like this help developers choose tools that can reliably speed up development while maintaining code quality.
Another important aspect of Android Bench is its focus on practical evaluation. Instead of simply checking whether a model can generate code snippets, the benchmark analyzes whether the generated code actually works in a realistic Android project environment. This ensures that the rankings reflect real usability rather than theoretical capabilities.
As AI continues to transform the software development landscape, tools like Android Bench could become essential for measuring progress in AI-assisted programming. By providing transparent rankings and standardized testing conditions, Google’s benchmark may influence how developers and companies evaluate AI coding tools in the future.
Google Play Store Battery Drain Warning: Android Will Soon Alert Users About Power-Hungry Apps

Google Play Store Battery Drain Warning Explained
Google Play Store battery drain warning is a new feature being developed by Google that will alert users before installing apps that may consume excessive battery power. The update is designed to help Android users avoid apps that run heavy background processes and negatively impact device battery life.
According to recent reports, Google plans to introduce warning labels on the Play Store listing page when an app is detected to use significantly more battery than expected. This feature will rely on data collected through Android’s performance monitoring system to determine whether an app is draining power inefficiently.

The goal of this change is to improve transparency in the Play Store ecosystem while encouraging developers to optimize their apps for better battery efficiency.
How Google Detects Battery-Draining Apps
Google will use Android’s internal metric known as Excessive Partial Wake Locks to evaluate how frequently an app keeps the device awake in the background. When apps trigger this condition too often, it indicates that they are consuming power unnecessarily.
Apps that exceed the defined threshold in a notable percentage of user sessions may receive a warning label in the Play Store. The alert will inform users that the application may use more battery than expected compared with similar apps.
This system is expected to rely on aggregated performance data collected from Android devices, ensuring that warnings are based on real-world usage rather than isolated testing.
What It Means for Android Users and Developers
For users, the new Play Store warning system could make it easier to avoid installing poorly optimized applications. Battery performance is one of the most common concerns among smartphone users, and identifying problematic apps before installation may significantly improve daily device usage.
For developers, the feature introduces stronger incentives to optimize background processes, reduce unnecessary wake locks, and improve app efficiency. Applications that trigger battery drain warnings may also lose visibility in recommendations or rankings within the Play Store.
Overall, this upcoming feature reflects Google’s broader effort to improve Android performance, transparency, and user experience. By highlighting battery-intensive apps directly in the Play Store, Android users will gain better control over the apps they install and the impact those apps have on their device’s battery life.
Source: Phonearena







