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

Apple today seeded the third 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 second 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 two betas, 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

xpxp2002 Avatar
27 months ago

Wait - you read another Mac-related site besides MacRumors? How could you? ?
I stopped going there after that awful site redesign a couple months ago. It's just a pain to read and navigate. The dark/light background switch still doesn't even work on iOS/iPadOS Safari.

I can get the same news here and a better forum format on a website that's easier to read and actually works.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
lazyrighteye Avatar
27 months ago

Not seeing it at all. How can the build be 20G5047d when beta 2 was 20G5037d?
That build was mentioned on 9to5mac ('https://9to5mac.com/2023/06/15/apple-releases-ios-16-6-beta-3/').
Wait - you read another Mac-related site besides MacRumors? How could you? ?
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jjudson Avatar
27 months ago
All I care about is: Does it finally get rid of this monstrosity???



Attachment Image
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Miicat_47 Avatar
27 months ago

I stopped going there after that awful site redesign a couple months ago. It's just a pain to read and navigate. The dark/light background switch still doesn't even work on iOS/iPadOS Safari.

I can get the same news here and a better forum format on a website that's easier to read and actually works.
Same for me, I still sometimes check their site, if they have something exclusive, but nothing more
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Realityck Avatar
27 months ago

Wait - you read another Mac-related site besides MacRumors? How could you? ?
I just now see Apple site updated and it shows that its is available at 11:43 AM PST. Wow they are slow today.

* iOS 16.6 beta 3 (20G5047d) - June 15, 2023
* iPadOS 16.6 beta 3 (20G5047d) - June 15, 2023
* macOS 13.5 beta 3 (22G5048d) - June 15, 2023
* watchOS 9.6 beta 3 (20U5548c) - June 15, 2023
* tvOS 16.6 beta 3 (20M5548b) = June 15, 2023
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jdavid_rp Avatar
27 months ago

I stopped going there after that awful site redesign a couple months ago. It's just a pain to read and navigate. The dark/light background switch still doesn't even work on iOS/iPadOS Safari.

I can get the same news here and a better forum format on a website that's easier to read and actually works.
Same, I have some issues by how minimal the interface is and the similarity between news and ads
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)