Gurman: Apple Finished iOS 16 Development Last Week Ahead of iPhone 14 Event Planned for September 7

Apple engineers wrapped up development of the initial version of iOS 16 last week, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. This likely means that Apple has few to no major new features or changes planned for the remaining iOS 16 betas and will instead focus on bug fixes in the final weeks before the software update is publicly released.

iOS 16 Lock Screen Customize
In the latest edition of his "Power On" newsletter, Gurman reiterated that iOS 16 and watchOS 9 are planned for release in September alongside new iPhone 14 and Apple Watch Series 8 models, while he expects iPadOS 16 and macOS Ventura to be released in October.

Here's the exact quote from Gurman's newsletter:

The iOS 16.0 update, which Apple engineers finished work on this past week, is due to launch in September alongside watchOS 9. Those updates will correspond with the new hardware. The macOS Ventura and iPadOS upgrades, on the other hand, are now scheduled for October (after Stage Manager-related delays to the iPad software) to match the new hardware lineup.

iOS 16's major new features include a customizable Lock Screen with widgets, the ability to temporarily edit or unsend an iMessage, iCloud Shared Photo Library for sharing photos with family and friends, a revamped Home app, and more. Apple also reintroduced a battery percentage icon in the status bar on most iPhones with a notch.

Gurman recently reported that Apple is planning to hold an event on Wednesday, September 7 to unveil new iPhone 14 and Apple Watch Series 8 models. Apple would likely also announce release dates for iOS 16 and watchOS 9 at the event, which Apple has yet to officially confirm. Gurman believes Apple is likely to hold another event in October focused on new Macs and iPads, including updated iPad Pro models with the M2 chip.

Related Forum: iOS 16

Popular Stories

iPhone Top Left Hole Punch Face ID Feature Purple

10 Reasons to Wait for This Year's iPhone 18 Pro

Thursday January 8, 2026 2:56 am PST by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth...
samsung crease less foldable display ces 2026%402x

Foldable iPhone's Crease-Free Display Tech Spotted at CES 2026

Tuesday January 6, 2026 3:04 am PST by
CES 2026 has just provided a first glimpse of the folding display technology that Apple is expected to use in its upcoming foldable iPhone. At the event, Samsung Display briefly showcased its new crease-less foldable OLED panel beside a Galaxy Z Fold 7, and according to SamMobile, which saw the test booth before it was abruptly removed, the new panel "has no crease at all" in comparison. The ...
iOS 27 Mock Quick

Five New iPhone Features Rumored for iOS 27

Wednesday January 7, 2026 2:51 pm PST by
Though it's been just a few months since iOS 26 launched, we're already hearing rumors about the next-generation version of iOS, iOS 27. iOS 27 will be introduced at Apple's June WWDC 2026 event before it launches in September 2026. We don't know all of the details about iOS 27 yet, but we do have some information about what to expect. "Snow Leopard" Update iOS 27 will apparently focus...
Apple Card iPhone 16 Pro Feature

Apple Card Will Move From Goldman Sachs to JPMorgan Chase

Wednesday January 7, 2026 12:57 pm PST by
JPMorgan Chase has reached a deal to take over operation of the Apple Card, reports The Wall Street Journal. Barring any "last minute hiccups," the deal should be announced shortly after over a year of negotiations. Reports began circulating over two years ago that current Apple Card issuer Goldman Sachs was looking to end its partnership with Apple as part of an effort to scale back on...
Logitech MX Master 3S

Logitech Blames 'Inexcusable Mistake' After Certificate Expiry Breaks macOS Apps

Wednesday January 7, 2026 5:27 am PST by
Logitech users on macOS found themselves locked out of their mouse customizations yesterday after the company let a security certificate expire, breaking both its Logi Options+ and G HUB configuration apps. Logitech devices like its MX Master series mice and MX Keys keyboards stopped working properly as a result of the oversight, with users unable to access their custom scrolling setup,...
ChatGPT Health Integration Connectors Feature

OpenAI Launches ChatGPT Health With Apple Health Integration

Wednesday January 7, 2026 11:27 am PST by
OpenAI today announced the launch of ChatGPT Health, a dedicated section of ChatGPT where users can ask health-related questions completely separated from their main ChatGPT experience. For more personalized responses, users can connect various health data services such as Apple Health, Function, MyFitnessPal, Weight Watchers, AllTrails, Instacart, and Peloton. Last month, MacRumors discovere...
Touchscreen MacBook Feature

Apple Is Expected to Launch These Four MacBooks in 2026

Friday January 9, 2026 8:17 am PST by
2026 could be a bumper year for Apple's Mac lineup, with the company expected to announce as many as four separate MacBook launches. Rumors suggest Apple will court both ends of the consumer spectrum, with more affordable options for students and feature-rich premium lines for users that seek the highest specifications from a laptop. Below is a breakdown of what we're expecting over the next ...
safari icon blue banner

Apple Loses Safari Lead Designer to The Browser Company

Thursday January 8, 2026 10:50 am PST by
Apple has lost another senior figure from its Safari team as a lead designer departs for The Browser Company, extending a pattern of high-profile exits from Apple's browser team amid intensifying competition around AI-driven browsing. Marco Triverio was a lead designer for Safari and has now joined The Browser Company, the developer of the Arc and Dia browsers. The move was confirmed by The...

Top Rated Comments

azentropy Avatar
44 months ago
More like they finished the version that will go on the new iPhones initially.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheYayAreaLiving ?️ Avatar
44 months ago

Noob question : what’s the point in releasing betas if it is finished anyway ? ?
To make sure the software is stable and reliable for the general public. Apple also takes the feedback very seriously.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheYayAreaLiving ?️ Avatar
44 months ago
Makes sense since the last beta was very small and incremental.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
PsykX Avatar
44 months ago
A bit surprised...

What about Xcode ?

They didn't even release a new beta this week and I can't test my apps on my iPhone this week, because iOS 16 has a more recent build than Xcode. This is annoying.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Cobold Avatar
44 months ago

Which is the build we get as the public release. Anything else is 16.0.1 shortly after.
Not necessarily. Last year, the first iPhone 13-series iPhones were preinstalled with iOS 15.0 build 19A341 and 19A345.
The build we got as the public release was 19A346.

You had to update your brand new iPhone 13 to the "final" build as an update labeled as "iOS 15.0", just increasing the build number bot not version number (still 15.0).

iOS 15.0.1 was build 19A348, whitch came out in October.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Premium1 Avatar
44 months ago

Noob question : what’s the point in releasing betas if it is finished anyway ? ?
Even it being "finished" there are bugs they want to work out, plus the added features that will come later on. Also the "finished" version is just what they load onto the new iphones, it doesn't mean they are done working on it.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)