Minecraft Pocket Edition Beta Version Released; Features Include Rideable Boats

Mojang has announced a new beta update for Minecraft Pocket Edition version.

In a follow-up of the recent promise from Mojang the developer of Minecraft, who had assured Minecraft Pocket Edition players that it would be rolling out an update "soon," a new announcement from the company affirms the roll-out of the update, but only the beta version.

The company announced on their official website that it was "working on the new Pocket Edition version." It reveled that a beta version 0.11.0 of the update was out. Players must note that the version is still in testing.

The new beta version includes new features, mobs, various bug fixes and other changes. New features include skins, rideable boats, New World edit screen, new kinds of fish, variants of stone brick, death messages. New mobs include squids, spider jockeys, cave spiders, bats and baby zombies and chicken jockeys.

The update tries to make a large number of bug fixes. It also tries to improve that game's multiplayer bandwith, server communication, world loading and more.

However, Mojang warns that before players try out the new update they have to make a back-up of the existing worlds.

Mojang also announced that it has planned to go into maintenance on 14 April, 8am to 12pm CEST (UTC+2).

Below are the steps to follow to if players want to test the new beta version update on Minecraft Pocket Edition:

Join the Google+ community
Opt into the Minecraft Pocket Edition Beta
Android device that can run Minecraft Pocket Edition.
Minecraft: Pocket Edition Android purchased from Google Play Store.
Once the app is installed they might have to wait for few days after they join the Beta to get the update.

Players who want to go back to the 0.10.x have to leave the "Google+ group and wait a little while for the game to revert," said Mojang.

Below is the complete list of the change-log that is part of the beta version of the update (Minecraft Pocket Edition Beta):

New features

Skins
Added boats rideable by 2 mobs!
New World edit screen
Rename worlds
Change gamemode
Lock/unlock day cycle
Make old worlds infinite
Localization!
Fishing and new kinds of fish!
Added mob effects (poison)
Added redstone block to store dust
Added grass path block
Added text formatting codes
Stone brick variants: chiseled, cracked and mossy, can now be crafted in survival
Zombies now drop rotten flesh
Show server status and message of the day on server entries screen
Added a hide button to the chat screen
Death messages

New mobs

Squids
Spider Jockeys now spawn
Cave spiders
Added bats
Added baby zombies and chicken jockeys

Bug fixes

Fixed the block break feedback circle disappearing on suspend
Fixed crashes while saving world
Fixed crashes on armor screen
Fixed crashes on furnace screen
Fixed world not being saved
Fixed MCPE-2084 Pig Zombies catching fire
Fixed MCPE-7838 Can not create new world
Fixed MCPE-6472 Getting stuck in the void after dying
Fixed MCPE-7835 Hotbar duplication glitch
Fixed MCPE-7872 Action button not being disabled after moving away
Fixed MCPE-7848, MCPE-7854 Grass/Mycelium does not grow below fences but underwater
Fixed MCPE-6999 Stone walls connecting to water
Fixed MCPE-7883 Cocoa tile not updating neighbor blocks when dropped
Fixed MCPE-6885 Breakable bedrock in survival.
Fixed MCPE-6853 Placing water replaces non-solid blocks
Fixed MCPE-6628 Wooden Axe not burning on furnaces
Fixed MCPE-7888 Different planks no longer stack
Fixed MCPE-7887 Update neighbors and rendering on random change
Fixed MCPE-2024 Gravel falling near fences
Fixed MCPE-671 Destroying Reactor-core does not allow night to end
Fixes MCPE-5161 Disallow changing name while playing
Fixed MCPE-5450 Quartz stairs not in stonecutter
Fixed MCPE-5455 Added duplicated player kick
Fixed MCPE-7904 Door duplication when placed near a cactus
Fixed MCPE-7915 Water does not function properly on transparent blocks
Fixed MCPE-7912 Double plant blocks delete existing blocks
Fixed MCPE-7864 Entities get ticked twice when riding
Fixed MCPE-7830 Duplicate items while feeding wolves
Fixed MCPE-7935 Iron bars can't connect to glass panes
Fixed MCPE-7050 Fences connecting to fence gates sideways
Fixed MCPE-7952 Acacia and DarkWood Stairs now burn
Fixed MCPE-7688 Grass becomes dirt even if sapling can't grow
Fixed MCPE-6697 Carpets not dropping more than one when stacked.
Fixed MCPE-5130 Sand/gravel falling when placed on top of torches
Fixed MCPE-8031 Topmost block having full bright lighting
Fixed world crash when unknown blocks are present
Fixed trees growing on the client
Fixed desert wells and special biomes not generating
Fixed issue with connecting to local games