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Apple Seeds Second Betas of iOS 16.6 and iPadOS 16.6 to Developers

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Apple today seeded the second betas of upcoming iOS 16.6 and iPadOS 16.6 updates to developers for testing purposes, with the software coming two weeks after the release of the first betas.

iOS 16
Registered developers can opt in to the betas by opening up the Settings app, going to Software Update, tapping on the “Beta Updates” option and toggling on the iOS 16 Developer Beta. Note that an Apple ID associated with a developer account is required to download and install the beta.

iOS 16.6 and iPadOS 16.6 lay the groundwork for iMessage Contact Key Verification. It is meant to let Apple device owners verify that they are messaging with the people they intend to message rather than a malicious entity that has intercepted a message or is eavesdropping on a conversation.

The feature is designed for Apple users who are facing “extraordinary digital threats.” Apple intends for iMessage Contact Key Verification to be used by journalists, human rights activists, government officials, and others who are in danger of malicious digital attacks from state-sponsored attackers or other malicious actors.

Apple said that iMessage Contact Key Verification would be available on the iPhone and other Apple devices at some point in 2023, and it is one of the last features we are expecting to see in iOS 16. In the first beta, hints of iMessage Contact Key were available, but the option was not fully enabled.

Related Forum: iOS 16

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Top Rated Comments

Realityck Avatar
Realityck
36 months ago
Released today
iOS 16.6 beta 2 (20G5037d) - May 31, 2023
iPadOS 16.6 beta 2 (20G5037d) - May 31, 2023
macOS 13.5 beta 2 (22G5038d) - May 31, 2023
watchOS 9.6 beta 2 (20U5538d) - May 31, 2023
tvOS 16.6 beta 2 (20M5538d) - May 31, 2023
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Realityck Avatar
Realityck
36 months ago
Availability of iOS/IPadOS 16.6b2 is well timed, gives the PB to be out tomorrow likely still an additional day before everything goes WWDC.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Realityck Avatar
Realityck
36 months ago
[HEADING=2]iOS & iPadOS 16.6 Beta 2 Release Notes[/HEADING]
[HEADING=3]Known Issues[/HEADING]

* Pairing a first Matter accessory in a new Apple Home will fail when paired by selecting an accessory from the nearby accessories list. (109905770)
Workaround: Pair a first Matter accessory by scanning the QR code on the Add Accessory card in a new Apple Home. Subsequent matter accessories can be paired using the nearby accessories list.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
3
3166792
36 months ago

Can we just get Airplay 2, please...
Came out almost exactly 5 years ago.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
F
Fatwalrus93
36 months ago

The current 16.x releases are one to two days after the dev release, unless there is something preventing seeding. If you mean to ask about WWDC next IOS 17 announcements, then the public beta recipients won't see any seeding until almost July or a bit afterwards. (usually beta 3 by then) Then the same delay would for apply for incremental PB betas some time later from dev seeds as stated first sentence.
Thank you!
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Realityck Avatar
Realityck
36 months ago

How long does it usually take for a new iOS iteration to go from announced to being able to download the beta version?
The current 16.x releases are one to two days after the dev release, unless there is something preventing seeding. If you mean to ask about WWDC next IOS 17 announcements, then the public beta recipients won't see any seeding until almost July or a bit afterwards. (usually beta 3 by then) Then the same delay would for apply for incremental PB betas some time later from dev seeds as stated first sentence.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
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