Apple began the beta testing process for iOS 16.6, just a day after the release of iOS 16.5 and about two weeks before the first iOS 17 beta was scheduled to arrive at WWDC. The beta was first released for developers on May 19 and will likely be available to public beta testers within a day.
We don’t expect there to be many new features in this release – iOS 16 is about as mature as it will get, and all eyes are on the upcoming features announced for iOS 17. Still , small tweaks and usability upgrades are possible as we did in iOS 16.5, and of course the security updates are endless.
iOS 16.6: New features
We don’t know what’s new in iOS 16.6 yet. We’ll update this article as we discover new features.
iOS 16.6: How to install the public beta
If you want to be among the first to test iOS 16.6, you can sign up for the public beta test. The process for installing a beta has changed in iOS 16.4. Here’s how the new process works:
- Click Register on the Apple Beta page and register with your Apple ID.
- Log in to the beta software program.
- Click on Enroll your iOS device.
- Open the Settings app, tap GeneralSO Software update.
- In the Beta updates section, select the iOS Public Beta.
It may take a few moments after signing up for the beta option to appear in Software update.
iOS 16.6: How to Install the Developer Beta
You will need to be registered as an Apple Developer. Joining the Apple Developer Program costs $99 per year.
- Sign up for the Apple Developer Program at developer.apple.com.
- Open the Settings app, tap GeneralSO Software update.
- In the Beta updates section, select the iOS Developer Beta.
Registered developers can choose to get the public beta instead by selecting iOS Public Beta in the software update screen. It may take a while after signing up as a developer for the option to appear in Software Updates.
Some developers have an Apple ID registered for developer access that is different from the Apple ID associated with their personal Apple account and data. To use a different Apple ID for beta access than the one used in the rest of iOS, open Settings
iOS 16.6 beta: Risks and precautions
First of all, note that betas are test versions of upcoming software. They are by definition unfinished, and while they should include most or all of the features of the finished product, there will be cosmetic differences and, inevitably, a few glitches and glitches that will need to be ironed out. Glitches and glitches are why Apple bothers to test iOS in the first place.
In other words, don’t expect a perfect user experience. In particular, don’t expect existing apps (including ones you can rely on) to work flawlessly with the new version. In extreme cases, you may even find that your device is beta-locked and cannot be used until the next beta comes along and hopefully fixes the problem. It is not uncommon for early beta software to also have issues such as excessive battery drain.
The closer we get to the final launch and iOS release, the more refined and comprehensive we can expect the available betas to be. The counterbalance to that, of course, is that there’s less time left to wait for the official launch, so you won’t gain as much by installing a beta.
Assuming you decide to go ahead, we can’t stress enough the importance of backing up your iPhone before installing a beta version of iOS, or better yet, using a secondary device rather than your Primary iPhone. You won’t lose everything if something goes wrong while installing the beta, and you can roll back to the latest version if you find you don’t like the new software after all, or it’s too buggy .
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