Ahead of the release of the new iPhone 16 models, Apple has seeded the third beta of iOS 18.1 for the devices. iOS 18.1 beta 3 was actually released in late August for the iPhone 15 Pro models, but now there's a version for the iPhone 16 models. iOS 18.1 beta 3 for the iPhone 16 has a build number of 22B5034o, up from the 22B5034e version released for other devices.
iOS 18.1 introduces the first Apple Intelligence features, such as Writing Tools, Reduce Interruptions Focus Mode, notification summaries, and more, and it is expected to see a public launch in October. The initial launch version of iOS 18 will not include any Apple Intelligence features.
A version of iOS 18.1 available for the iPhone 16 models means people who are currently running iOS 18.1 on their iPhone 15 Pro will be able to transfer their iCloud backups when the iPhone 16, 16 Plus, 16 Pro, and 16 Pro Max launch next Friday. Transferring data from one iPhone to another requires that both devices run the same version of iOS, which can be a hassle when betas are involved.
Apple has likely provided iPhone 16 review models to media sites, so the early release of the beta will allow reviewers running iOS 18.1 to set up their test iPhone 16 devices.
iOS 18 will be released on Monday, but the iOS 18.1 beta testing process will continue on for several more weeks.
