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

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

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Lower Logo Feature 1

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 14 New Features

Monday June 30, 2025 1:08 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are less than three months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Apple is expected to launch the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max in September this year. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models:Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an...
Apple Watch Ultra Night Mode Screen

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Launching Later This Year With Two Key Upgrades

Wednesday July 2, 2025 1:13 pm PDT by
The long wait for an Apple Watch Ultra 3 appears to be nearly over, and it is rumored to feature both satellite connectivity and 5G support. Apple Watch Ultra's existing Night Mode In his latest Power On newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that the Apple Watch Ultra 3 is on track to launch this year with "significant" new features, including satellite connectivity, which would let you...
A18 Pro Chip

New MacBook With A18 Pro Chip Spotted in Apple Code

Monday June 30, 2025 8:05 am PDT by
Apple is developing a MacBook with the A18 Pro chip, according to findings in backend code uncovered by MacRumors. Earlier today, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported that Apple is planning to launch a low-cost MacBook powered by an iPhone chip. The machine is expected to feature a 13-inch display, the A18 Pro chip, and color options that include silver, blue, pink, and yellow. MacRumors...
iPhone 17 Pro Lower Logo Magsafe

iPhone 17 Pro's New MagSafe Design Revealed in Leaked Photo

Wednesday July 2, 2025 8:37 am PDT by
The upcoming iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are rumored to have a slightly different MagSafe magnet layout compared to existing iPhone models, and a leaked photo has offered a closer look at the supposed new design. The leaker Majin Bu today shared a photo of alleged MagSafe magnet arrays for third-party iPhone 17 Pro cases. On existing iPhone models with MagSafe, the magnets form a...
macbook air spacegray purple

Apple Planning to Launch Low-Cost MacBook Powered By iPhone Chip

Monday June 30, 2025 3:20 am PDT by
Apple is planning to launch a low-cost MacBook powered by an iPhone chip, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. In an article published on X, Kuo explained that the device will feature a 13-inch display and the A18 Pro chip, making it the first Mac powered by an iPhone chip. The A18 Pro chip debuted in the iPhone 16 Pro last year. To date, all Apple silicon Macs have contained M-series...
iOS 18

Apple Releases Second iOS 18.6 Public Beta

Tuesday July 1, 2025 10:19 am PDT by
Apple today seeded the second betas of upcoming iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 updates to public beta testers, with the betas coming just a day after Apple provided the betas to developers. Apple has also released a second beta of macOS Sequoia 15.6. Testers who have signed up for beta updates through Apple's beta site can download iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 from the Settings app on a compatible...
Wi Fi WiFi General Feature

iOS 26 Adds a Useful New Wi-Fi Feature to Your iPhone

Wednesday July 2, 2025 6:36 am PDT by
iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 add a smaller yet useful Wi-Fi feature to iPhones and iPads. As spotted by Creative Strategies analyst Max Weinbach, sign-in details for captive Wi-Fi networks are now synced across iPhones and iPads running iOS 26 and iPadOS 26. For example, while Weinbach was staying at a Hilton hotel, his iPhone prompted him to fill in Wi-Fi details from his iPad that was already...
maxresdefault

Five Features Coming to AirPods Pro 3

Friday June 27, 2025 10:52 am PDT by
Apple hasn't updated the AirPods Pro since 2022, and the earbuds are due for a refresh. We're counting on a new model this year, and we've seen several hints of new AirPods tucked away in Apple's code. Rumors suggest that Apple has some exciting new features planned that will make it worthwhile to upgrade to the latest model. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Heal...
replay all time playlist apple music

Apple Music Debuts All-New Personalized Playlist

Monday June 30, 2025 7:16 am PDT by
As part of its 10-year celebrations of Apple Music, Apple today released an all-new personalized playlist that collates your entire listening history. The playlist, called "Replay All Time," expands on Apple Music's existing Replay features. Previously, users could only see their top songs for each individual calendar year that they've been subscribed to Apple Music, but now, Replay All...

Top Rated Comments

Realityck Avatar
27 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
27 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
27 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)
3166792 Avatar
27 months ago

Can we just get Airplay 2, please...
Came out almost exactly 5 years ago.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Fatwalrus93 Avatar
27 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
27 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)