Apple Seeds First Beta of iPadOS 16.1, Confirms Delayed Launch

Apple today seeded the first beta of an upcoming iPadOS 16.1 update to developers for testing purposes, with the software available alongside the standard iOS 16 seventh beta that was provided today.

ipados 16 stage manager
Registered developers can download the iPadOS 16 profile from the Apple Developer Center, and once installed, the beta will be available over the air.

Apple has decided to delay the launch of iPadOS 16 in order to continue working out bugs and other issues with the Stage Manager feature that is coming to M1 iPad models.

In a statement to TechCrunch, Apple said that there will be no iPadOS 16.0 version at launch, with the company instead planning to ship iPadOS 16.1 following the launch of iOS 16.

This is an especially big year for iPadOS. As its own platform with features specifically designed for iPad, we have the flexibility to deliver iPadOS on its own schedule. This Fall, iPadOS will ship after iOS, as version 16.1 in a free software update.

iPadOS 16.1 introduces new ‌Stage Manager‌ features, according to TechCrunch.

The big update this time out is the ability to resurface the Stage Manager side rail with a gesture while the feature is full screen. The other updates with 16.1 are the standard spate of beta bug updates

Apple rarely splits iOS and iPadOS launches apart, but it has opted to do so in this case because the latest version of iPadOS is still riddled with bugs and seeing a number of complaints about the multitasking Stage Manager option.

Related Forum: iOS 16

Popular Stories

iOS 18

Here Are Apple's Full iOS 18.5 Release Notes

Tuesday May 6, 2025 2:17 pm PDT by
Apple today seeded the release candidate version of iOS 18.5 to developers and public beta testers, giving us a look at the final version of the update that will be provided to the public next week. With the release candidate, Apple provided release notes, so we have a more complete look at the new features that are included in the update, including those that weren't found during the beta...
siri glow

iPhone Users Now Able to Submit Claims in $95 Million Siri Spying Lawsuit

Wednesday May 7, 2025 11:40 am PDT by
If you owned a Siri-compatible device and had an accidental Siri activation between September 17, 2014 and December 31, 2024, you could be eligible for a payment from Apple as part of a class action lawsuit settlement. Apple in January agreed to pay $95 million to settle a class action lawsuit involving Siri spying accusations, and a website to distribute the funds has now been set up and...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17: What's New With the Cameras

Friday May 2, 2025 3:52 pm PDT by
We've still got months to go before the new iPhone 17 models come out, but a combination of dummy models and leaks have given us some insight into what we can expect in terms of camera changes. Apple is adding new camera features, and changing the design of the camera bump for some models. You might be skeptical of dummy models, but over the years, they've proven to be a highly accurate...
iOS 18

Apple Says iOS 18.5 Coming Soon, Here is What's New

Monday May 5, 2025 8:19 am PDT by
In its press release for the new Pride Band today, Apple said that iOS 18.5 is "upcoming," following more than a month of beta testing. We expect the iOS 18.5 Release Candidate to be released this week, and this should be the final beta version, barring any last-minute bugs or changes. The software update should then be released to the general public next week. iOS 18.5 is a relatively...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature Homescreen

Foldable iPhone Said to Have Two Key Advantages

Monday May 5, 2025 6:41 am PDT by
Apple plans to release its first foldable iPhone next year, according to several reporters and analysts who cover the company. In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said the foldable iPhone will offer two key advantages over other foldable smartphones. First, he said the foldable iPhone will have a "nearly invisible" crease when unfolded. This means the device's...
Nineth iOS 19 Feature

iOS 19 Beta is a Month Away With These New Features for Your iPhone

Thursday May 8, 2025 7:37 am PDT by
The first iOS 19 beta is just one month away, and there are already many new features and changes that are expected with it. Apple should seed the first iOS 19 beta to developers immediately following the WWDC 2025 keynote, which is scheduled for Monday, June 9. Following beta testing, the update should be released to the general public in September. Below, we recap the key iOS 19 rumors...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature Homescreen

Apple's Foldable iPhone Display Tech May Set New Industry Standard

Thursday May 8, 2025 3:29 am PDT by
Apple's upcoming foldable iPhone will feature a new type of display panel developed by Samsung that has never been used in a foldable product, claims a source with links to Apple's supply chain. According to the account yeux1122 on the Korean Naver blog, the foldable iPhone will use a custom display process for which Apple will hold branding trademark rights, and that meets Apple's stringent ...
AirPods Pro 3 Mock Feature

AirPods Pro 3 Just Months Away – Here's What We Know

Tuesday April 29, 2025 1:30 am PDT by
Despite being more than two years old, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 still dominate the premium wireless‑earbud space, thanks to a potent mix of top‑tier audio, class‑leading noise cancellation, and Apple's habit of delivering major new features through software updates. With AirPods Pro 3 widely expected to arrive in 2025, prospective buyers now face a familiar dilemma: snap up the proven...

Top Rated Comments

WhackyNinja Avatar
35 months ago
“This is an especially big year for iPadOS”

Me:


Attachment Image
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
klasma Avatar
35 months ago
“This is an especially big year for iPadOS.”

I don’t see it.
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
oneMadRssn Avatar
35 months ago
iPadOS is the prime example what's bad about not having any direct competition. The OS has stagnated for years and years, because what are you going to do? Use an Android tablet? lol.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
siddavis Avatar
35 months ago
"we have the flexibility to deliver iPadOS on its own schedule."
But we must demonstrate this independence by keeping the version numbers in sync. :)
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
IMPOSSIBLEMAN Avatar
35 months ago
Very few journalists & websites hold Apple accountable when it underdelivers.

iPad OS & even MacOS in my opinion have been lagging in development lately with few features that are mostly focused on security-related matters and nothing meeting conudmers demand on UI & functions.

Even the Stage Manager in my opinion is a joke compared to the basic yet functional windows management on Win-11.

Add to it: no notification syncing, delayed iPad OS features coming 1 year after iOS and you see the whole picture is just not what you would expect from Apple.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
GMShadow Avatar
35 months ago

Eh pretty indifferent about it for my iPad Air 4 anyway. You could have installed the beta on my device in secret and I wouldn’t even have noticed that I am not running iOS 15 until seeing the Weather App
The Files app improvements have been the biggest thing for me. The old version used to choke loading 10MB< images, now it can handle 50MB+ ones with ease.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)