Apple Releases Second Public Betas of iOS 16.2 and iPadOS 16.2 With Freeform App, Stage Manager External Display Support and More

Apple today seeded the second betas of upcoming iOS 16.2 and iPadOS 16.2 updates to public beta testers, providing the software to the general public. Today's beta comes two weeks after Apple released the first public betas.

iOS 16
Public beta testers who have signed up for Apple's free beta testing program can download the ‌iOS and iPadOS 16.‌2 betas over the air after installing the proper certificate from the Public Beta website.

iOS 16.2 and iPadOS 16.2 introduce the Freeform app, which can be used for jotting down notes, sketching, drawing, brainstorming ideas, creating mood boards, and more. Multiple people can work on the same Freeform board, with changes synced for all participants in real time.

For the iPad, the update brings external display support to the Stage Manager multitasking feature, allowing up to eight apps to be used at once. External display support is available for the M1 and M2 ‌iPad‌ models.

ipados stage manager external display
There is a new Home app architecture coming in iOS and iPadOS 16.2, which Apple says is designed to bring faster, more reliable performance, especially in homes with a lot of smart home accessories. The new architecture requires the HomePod 16.2 beta software, and it causes the Home app not to work with devices updated to iOS 16.2, iPadOS 16.2, or macOS Ventura 13.1.

Unintentional Emergency SOS calls can be reported to Apple in iOS 16.2, and there are a few other minor changes that can be found in our iOS 16.2 feature guide.

Related Forum: iOS 16

Top Rated Comments

Eldaerenth Faexidor Avatar
19 months ago
I am so looking forward to freeform!
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
roncron Avatar
19 months ago
Public beta testers, if you're not currently on beta 1, or maybe even if you are, please check out the macrumors forum thread on 16.2 beta 2 before installing. There seems to be a greater than usual number of reports of problems, especially with frame drops or stuttering on iPhones with promotion. A fair number of developers who installed beta 2 are going back to beta 1 or 16.1 public release.

(That said, there are plenty of developers who are having little to no problems with beta 2; it just seems like the number with problems is higher than normal for a second beta on a .2 release.)
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
GlassFingers Avatar
19 months ago
I cannot wait to use FreeForm! I tried some of the other brainstorming apps out there a couple months back, and each of them had different issues… I think Apple is going to get it right!
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Realityck Avatar
19 months ago
[SPOILER="iOS & iPadOS 16.2 Beta 2 Release Notes"]
[HEADING=2]Freeform[/HEADING]
[HEADING=3]Known Issues[/HEADING]

* Can’t delete boards while offline, or if iCloud data is disabled for Freeform. (100294085)
Workaround: Go to Settings (System Setting on macOS) > Apple ID > iCloud, then in the Apps using iCloud section, toggle Freeform to On.
* Adding or removing collaborators can fail while attempting to change share settings. (101186059)
Workaround: Close the share sheet and try to add or remove the participants again.

[HEADING=2]Keyboard[/HEADING]
[HEADING=3]Resolved in iOS & iPadOS 16.2 beta 2[/HEADING]

* Fixed: When typing in Chinese Pinyin, selecting an option from the candidate bar is unresponsive. (73513207)

[HEADING=2]Stage Manager[/HEADING]
[HEADING=3]Known Issues[/HEADING]

* While using Stage Manager with an External Display, dragging a second window to the workspace incorrectly hides the Recent Apps list—shifting all windows in the workspace to the right. (98540114)

[HEADING=2]TV App[/HEADING]
[HEADING=3]Resolved in iOS & iPadOS 16.2 beta 2[/HEADING]

* Fixed: Play tracking (Up Next, and Top Shelf Update) won’t work for all platforms. (101258095)

[HEADING=2]SwiftUI[/HEADING]
[HEADING=3]New Features in iOS & iPadOS 16.2 beta 2[/HEADING]

* Disable animations of NavigationStack push and pop by wrapping path mutation in withTransaction(transaction) { … } where transaction has disablesAnimations set to true. (88993253)

[HEADING=3]Resolved in iOS & iPadOS 16.2 beta 2[/HEADING]

* Fixed: Programmatically popping multiple views from a NavigationStack, by manipulating its path binding, now animates. Use with Transaction to override this behavior. (96852321)

[/SPOILER]

Released yesterday to devs, today to PB testers, mobile Safari is now 16.2
iOS 16.2 beta 2 (20C5043e) - November 8, 2022
iPadOS 16.2 beta 2 (20C5043e) - November 8, 2022
macOS 13.1 beta 2 (22C5044e) - November 8, 2022
watchOS 9.2 beta 2 (20S5342d) - November 8, 2022
tvOS 16.2 beta 2 (20K5342d) - November 8, 2022
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Yeetus Avatar
19 months ago
5G's finally working! Airtel, Delhi (NSA).
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iPhone 15 Pro FineWoven

Apple Reportedly Stops Production of FineWoven Accessories

Sunday April 21, 2024 6:03 am PDT by
Apple has stopped production of FineWoven accessories, according to the Apple leaker and prototype collector known as "Kosutami." In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Kosutami explained that Apple has stopped production of FineWoven accessories due to its poor durability. The company may move to another non-leather material for its premium accessories in the future. Kosutami has revealed...
Provenance Emulator

PlayStation and SEGA Emulator for iPhone and Apple TV Coming to App Store [Updated]

Friday April 19, 2024 8:29 am PDT by
The lead developer of the multi-emulator app Provenance has told iMore that his team is working towards releasing the app on the App Store, but he did not provide a timeframe. Provenance is a frontend for many existing emulators, and it would allow iPhone and Apple TV users to emulate games released for a wide variety of classic game consoles, including the original PlayStation, GameCube, Wii,...
iOS 17 All New Features Thumb

iOS 17.5 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Sunday April 21, 2024 3:00 am PDT by
The upcoming iOS 17.5 update for the iPhone includes only a few new user-facing features, but hidden code changes reveal some additional possibilities. Below, we have recapped everything new in the iOS 17.5 and iPadOS 17.5 beta so far. Web Distribution Starting with the second beta of iOS 17.5, eligible developers are able to distribute their iOS apps to iPhone users located in the EU...
apple vision pro orange

Apple Vision Pro Customer Interest Dying Down at Some Retail Stores

Monday April 22, 2024 2:12 am PDT by
Apple Vision Pro, Apple's $3,500 spatial computing device, appears to be following a pattern familiar to the AR/VR headset industry – initial enthusiasm giving way to a significant dip in sustained interest and usage. Since its debut in the U.S. in February 2024, excitement for the Apple Vision Pro has noticeably cooled, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Writing in his latest Power On...
top stories 20apr2024

Top Stories: Nintendo Emulators on App Store, Two New iOS 17 Features, and More

Saturday April 20, 2024 6:00 am PDT by
It was a big week for retro gaming fans, as iPhone users are starting to reap the rewards of Apple's recent change to allow retro game emulators on the App Store. This week also saw a new iOS 17.5 beta that will support web-based app distribution in the EU, the debut of the first hotels to allow for direct AirPlay streaming to room TVs, a fresh rumor about the impending iPad Air update, and...