iOS 16 Public Beta for iPhone Expected to Be Released This Week [Now Out]

by

Apple is expected to release the first public beta of iOS 16 for the iPhone this week, allowing anyone to test the software update for free.

iOS 16 Customizable Lock Screen
In a tweet last month, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said the iOS 16 public beta should be released during the week of July 11. Gurman said the public beta is expected to correspond with the third developer beta of iOS 16 released last week.

It's unclear which day of the week the iOS 16 public beta will be released. Given that embargoed reviews of the new MacBook Air are expected to be published on Thursday, it is possible that Apple will opt to release the iOS 16 public beta by Wednesday at the latest to spread out the news. Last year, the iOS 15 public beta was released on a Wednesday.


Apple typically releases new betas shortly after 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time, which is 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time or 6:00 p.m. in the U.K.

At WWDC last month, Apple announced that public betas of iOS 16, iPadOS 16, macOS Ventura, watchOS 9, and tvOS 16 would be released in July. Apple will also be releasing a public beta of HomePod software version 16, which is based on tvOS.

To get ready for the iOS 16 public beta, sign up for the free Apple Beta Software Program directly on an iPhone. The program lets you install a custom profile on your device that will enable you to install the beta over the air via Settings > Software Update when released. Public beta testers can provide feedback to Apple using the Feedback Assistant app.

While the iOS 16 beta has been relatively stable, it is still a beta, so you may encounter bugs, incompatible apps, reduced battery life, and other issues. Think carefully before deciding to install the public beta on an iPhone that you rely on for daily use.

iOS 16 is compatible with the iPhone 8 and newer. The software update, which should be released to all users in September, introduces a customizable Lock screen, the ability to edit or unsend iMessages, and many other new features.

Update: Apple has released the iOS 16 public beta.

Tag: Mark Gurman
Related Forum: iOS 16

Popular Stories

iPhone SE 4 Vertical Camera Feature

iPhone SE 4 Rumored to Use Same Rear Chassis as iPhone 16

Friday July 19, 2024 7:16 am PDT by
Apple will adopt the same rear chassis manufacturing process for the iPhone SE 4 that it is using for the upcoming standard iPhone 16, claims a new rumor coming out of China. According to the Weibo-based leaker "Fixed Focus Digital," the backplate manufacturing process for the iPhone SE 4 is "exactly the same" as the standard model in Apple's upcoming iPhone 16 lineup, which is expected to...
Read Full Article • 127 comments
iPhone 16 Pro Sizes Feature

iPhone 16 Series Is Just Two Months Away: Everything We Know

Monday July 15, 2024 4:44 am PDT by
Apple typically releases its new iPhone series around mid-September, which means we are about two months out from the launch of the iPhone 16. Like the iPhone 15 series, this year's lineup is expected to stick with four models – iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max – although there are plenty of design differences and new features to take into account. To bring ...
Read Full Article • 129 comments
iphone 14 lineup

Cellebrite Unable to Unlock iPhones on iOS 17.4 or Later, Leak Reveals

Thursday July 18, 2024 4:18 am PDT by
Israel-based mobile forensics company Cellebrite is unable to unlock iPhones running iOS 17.4 or later, according to leaked documents verified by 404 Media. The documents provide a rare glimpse into the capabilities of the company's mobile forensics tools and highlight the ongoing security improvements in Apple's latest devices. The leaked "Cellebrite iOS Support Matrix" obtained by 404 Media...
Read Full Article • 66 comments
tinypod apple watch

TinyPod Turns Your Apple Watch Into an iPod

Wednesday July 17, 2024 3:18 pm PDT by
If you have an old Apple Watch and you're not sure what to do with it, a new product called TinyPod might be the answer. Priced at $79, the TinyPod is a silicone case with a built-in scroll wheel that houses the Apple Watch chassis. When an Apple Watch is placed inside the TinyPod, the click wheel on the case is able to be used to scroll through the Apple Watch interface. The feature works...
Read Full Article • 133 comments
bsod

Crowdstrike Says Global IT Outage Impacting Windows PCs, But Mac and Linux Hosts Not Affected

Friday July 19, 2024 3:12 am PDT by
A widespread system failure is currently affecting numerous Windows devices globally, causing critical boot failures across various industries, including banks, rail networks, airlines, retailers, broadcasters, healthcare, and many more sectors. The issue, manifesting as a Blue Screen of Death (BSOD), is preventing computers from starting up properly and forcing them into continuous recovery...
Read Full Article • 465 comments
New MacBook Pros Launching Tomorrow With These 4 New Features 2

M5 MacBook Models to Use New Compact Camera Module in 2025

Wednesday July 17, 2024 2:58 am PDT by
Apple in 2025 will take on a new compact camera module (CCM) supplier for future MacBook models powered by its next-generation M5 chip, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Writing in his latest investor note on unny-opticals-2025-business-momentum-to-benefit-509819818c2a">Medium, Kuo said Apple will turn to Sunny Optical for the CCM in its M5 MacBooks. The Chinese optical lens company...
Read Full Article • 111 comments

Top Rated Comments

AppleFan91 Avatar
AppleFan91
27 months ago
Oddly enough - Beta 3 has been by far the buggiest for me. 1 & 2 were fairly smooth but 3 has given me a ton of issues with apps crashing and issues with screen orientation issues. (It will rotate to landscape, then not rotate back, etc). Also, tapping on notifications on the Lock Screen does nothing for me, rather than going to the app. Pretty weird stuff.

Autocorrect, oddly enough, has been horrendous too.

Probably the worst beta to onboard public testers, but we’ll see, maybe I’m a 1-off
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
contacos Avatar
contacos
27 months ago

Can't wait to try out the new lockscreen customisation! 1 for work focus and 1 for study focus etc
So far it’s a big ass mess. I hope they sort it out a few betas from now. I doubt many people will understand the work flow at this stage. Hell, I still don’t understand how to add a different Home Screen wallpaper from their suggestions without changing / adding a separate lockscreen wallpaper as well
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Premium1 Avatar
Premium1
27 months ago

So far it’s a big ass mess. I hope they sort it out a few betas from now. I doubt many people will understand the work flow at this stage. Hell, I still don’t understand how to add a different Home Screen wallpaper from their suggestions without changing / adding a separate lockscreen wallpaper as well
That is the most frustrating and had me confused when I was first setting it up.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Kylo83 Avatar
Kylo83
27 months ago
Nothing in iOS 16 is existing for me; the Lock Screen looks kiddish and apart from that it’s more of a 15.7 update
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Premium1 Avatar
Premium1
27 months ago

Does it already contain the new HomeKit architecture ?
I couldn't find anything at all about this.

Do we only need to install the latest beta on a hub (like tvOS 16 for example)?
Or does every device that interact with HomeKit also need to be updated?

The upsides of having a HomeKit that finally works as it should could overcome the downsides of being riddled with bugs because it's of course just a beta.
"In our testing thus far, it's hard to see much of a difference though. This is likely because Apple warns that all devices that communicate with HomeKit must be running the latest versions. Currently, several devices in our home are not running the betas." Everything new coming to HomeKit in IOS16 ('https://appleinsider.com/articles/22/06/09/everything-new-coming-to-homekit-in-ios-16')
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
SFjohn Avatar
SFjohn
27 months ago
Can I install this and still back up to a 2014 Mac mini that will never run Ventura?
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments