Apple Seeds Second Betas of iOS 17.6 and iPadOS 17.6 to Developers

Apple today seeded the second betas of upcoming iOS 17.6 and iPadOS 17.6 updates to developers for testing purposes, with the second betas coming two weeks after the first iOS and iPadOS 17.6 betas.

iOS 17
Registered developers are able to opt into the betas by opening up the Settings app, going to the Software Update section, tapping on the "Beta Updates" option, and toggling on the iOS 17 or iPadOS 17 Developer Beta. An Apple ID associated with a developer account is required to download and install the beta.

The features Apple promised for iOS 17 have all been implemented, so it is not clear what will be included in iOS 17.6, and no major new additions were discovered in the first beta.

With Apple focusing on iOS 18, it is likely that iOS 17.6 will include bug fixes and other under-the-hood improvements.

Related Roundup: iPhone 17
Buyer's Guide: iPhone 17 (Buy Now)
Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

iOS 26 on iPhone Feature

Here's When iOS 26 Rolls Out Today in Every Time Zone [Update: Out Now!]

Monday September 15, 2025 12:00 am PDT by
Update 10:06 a.m.: iOS 26 is rolling out now, though it may take a bit for all users to see it, so keep checking! Today's the day! Apple is about to release iOS 26, which will deliver the biggest redesign since iOS 7 and bring a range of new features and improvements to iPhones worldwide. It's Apple's biggest software update of the year, and Apple announced at last week's iPhone event that...
iOS 26 Battery Glass Feature

Apple Says Installing iOS 26 Might Impact Battery Life

Monday September 15, 2025 10:56 am PDT by
In the iOS 26 release notes, Apple is warning iPhone users that installing the new software might have a temporary impact on battery life, which is normal. A new support document explains that major iOS updates require background setup like indexing data and files for search, downloading new assets, and updating apps. Further, Apple says that new features could require more resources,...
Tim Cook Rainbow

Apple Reportedly Plans to Launch These 10 Products in 'Coming Months'

Sunday September 14, 2025 8:45 am PDT by
Apple's annual September event is now in the rearview mirror, with the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, iPhone Air, Apple Watch Series 11, Apple Watch Ultra 3, Apple Watch SE 3, and AirPods Pro 3 set to launch this Friday, September 19. As always, there is more to come. In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple plans to release many products in the...
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 Get iOS 26 Features With New Firmware Update

Monday September 15, 2025 10:50 am PDT by
Apple today released updated firmware for the AirPods Pro 2 and the AirPods 4, introducing support for the new AirPods features that are included in iOS 26, iPadOS 26, and macOS Tahoe. The firmware has a build number of 8A356, and it replaces the current 7E93 firmware. With Apple's new software updates, the AirPods Pro 2 and the AirPods 4 support better audio quality for phone calls and...
iOS 26 Feature

iOS 26 Available Now With These 8 New Features

Monday September 15, 2025 5:45 am PDT by
Following three months of beta testing, iOS 26 was released today, September 15. The update is compatible with the iPhone 11 series and newer, and it is available to install via the Settings app, under General → Software Update. Below, we have highlighted eight new features included in iOS 26. Even more new features and changes are outlined in Apple's release notes for the update. Some of ...
iphone 17 lineup

iPhone 17 Models Launch on September 19 With These New Features

Friday September 12, 2025 7:58 am PDT by
Apple will launch its new iPhone 17 lineup and ultra-thin iPhone Air in stores on Friday, September 19, and the company has already shown off the new devices at its fall event, which ran with the the tagline "Awe dropping." The iPhone 17 series brings a host of new features and enhancements. Here's a rundown of the biggest upgrades and changes: iPhone 17 Display Changes The iPhone...

Top Rated Comments

JCCL Avatar
16 months ago
These are not the betas you're looking for :)
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Böhme417 Avatar
16 months ago

These are not the betas you're looking for :)
Oh, but they are.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Realityck Avatar
16 months ago
FYI

* iOS 17.6 beta 2 (21G5061c) - July 1, 2024
* iPadOS 17.6 beta 2 (21G5061c) - July 1, 2024
* macOS 14.6 beta 2 (23G5061b) - July 1, 2024
* tvOS 17.6 beta 2 (21M5054a) - July 1, 2024
* visionOS 1.3 beta 2 (21O5756a) - July 1, 2024
* watchOS 10.6 beta 2 (21U5560b) - July 1, 2024
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Danilamak Avatar
16 months ago
They added apple pencil double tap speed recognition
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Danilamak Avatar
16 months ago

These are not the betas you're looking for :)
17.5.1 feels like **** if trying to use iPadOS desktop like features and some fundamentals. 17.6 feels a little bit better
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Realityck Avatar
16 months ago

Can you share why you highlight this moment? You can’t do this on 17?
https://www.macrumors.com/2024/06/24/ipados-18-beta-2-includes-eu-changes/

Apple first introduced these changes on the iPhone in the EU with iOS 17.4 earlier this year, to comply with the EU's Digital Markets Act. The expansion of the changes to the iPad in the EU comes nearly two months after the European Commission said iPadOS is also a gatekeeper platform ('https://www.macrumors.com/2024/04/29/eu-says-ipados-digital-gatekeeper-dma/') under these new regulations.

The other changes include alternative payment options in the App Store, a default web browser selection screen in Safari, the ability for web browsers to use web engines other than Apple's WebKit on the iPhone and iPad, and more.
So Safari never changed Apple's catering to some ads being shown in their browser. But something like Brave with built in ad blocking is like it runs on a Mac now. In iPadOS 17 all 3rd party web browsers used webkit engine, not their own. I thought this might have been like iOS 17 and region activated, but it appears not.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)