Skip to Content

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

by

Apple today seeded the third 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 one week after Apple released the second public betas.


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 the latest beta added options to turn off notifications and wallpaper when using always on display on the iPhone 14 Pro models. There are several other changes that can be found in our iOS 16.2 feature guide.

Related Forum: iOS 16

Popular Stories

MacBook Neo Feature Pastel 1

First MacBook Neo Benchmarks Are In: Here's How It Compares to the M1 MacBook Air

Thursday March 5, 2026 4:07 pm PST by
Benchmarks for the new MacBook Neo surfaced today, and unsurprisingly, CPU performance is almost identical to the iPhone 16 Pro. The MacBook Neo uses the same 6-core A18 Pro chip that was first introduced in the iPhone 16 Pro, but it has one fewer GPU core. The MacBook Neo earned a single-core score of 3461 and a multi-core score of 8668, along with a Metal score of 31286. Here's how the...
Read Full Article • 338 comments
MacBook Neo Feature Pastel 1

Apple Announces $599 'MacBook Neo' With A18 Pro Chip

Wednesday March 4, 2026 6:15 am PST by
Apple today announced the "MacBook Neo," an all-new kind of low-cost Mac featuring the A18 Pro chip for $599. The MacBook Neo is the first Mac to be powered by an iPhone chip; the A18 Pro debuted in 2024's iPhone 16 Pro models. Apple says it is up to 50% faster for everyday tasks than the bestselling PC with the latest shipping Intel Core Ultra 5, up to 3x faster for on-device AI workloads,...
Read Full Article • 1354 comments
Multicolored Low Cost A18 Pro MacBook Feature

Apple Accidentally Leaks 'MacBook Neo'

Tuesday March 3, 2026 7:00 am PST by
Apple appears to have prematurely revealed the name of its rumored lower-cost MacBook model, which is expected to be announced this Wednesday. A regulatory document for a "MacBook Neo" (Model A3404) has appeared on Apple's website. Unfortunately, there are no further details or images available yet. While the PDF file does not contain the "MacBook Neo" name, it briefly appeared in a link...
Read Full Article • 402 comments

Top Rated Comments

spaceman_spiff Avatar
spaceman_spiff
43 months ago

Read it three times and still confused.
I assume it's supposed to say "it causes the Home app not to work with devices NOT updated to iOS 16.2," because that would make sense.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
S
_Spinn_
43 months ago
Look forward to the final release.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Realityck Avatar
Realityck
43 months ago

Public release non-beta is imminent. Sweet!
Not to Monday Dec 12th as I been saying, based on the last two years occurred Monday Dec 13th, Monday Dec 14th.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
L
Lounge vibes 05
43 months ago

Why would the app no longer work correctly on non-iOS 16.2 devices? Peculiar...
Because it’s a brand new architecture.
From what I understand it’s completely rewritten from the ground up.
When you update to 16.2 and open the Home app, you’re presented with a screen to install the new architecture on your devices.
Since you can’t install the new architecture on the older versions of any of Apple‘s operating systems, you have to have everything up-to-date and on the new architecture.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
E
Eldaerenth Faexidor
43 months ago
Public release non-beta is imminent. Sweet!
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
W
WilliamG
43 months ago

Is this a typo? If you update HomePod to 16.2 beta, it breaks compatibility on your other devices that are also on 16.2 beta?
Read it three times and still confused.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments