Apple on Monday seeded the first public betas of iOS 16 and iPadOS 16, opening up the iOS 16 beta testing process to the general public for the first time since the Worldwide Developers Conference. Developers have already had three betas, and the first public beta coincides with the third developer beta.
Users who signed up for the public betas at beta.apple.com can downloading the updates over the air after installing the proper certificate from the website.
iOS 16 introduces an overhauled Lock Screen with customizable wallpapers, time, and widgets, as well as updated notifications which roll in from the bottom of the display. Multiple Lock Screens are supported and can be linked with Focus modes.
The Messages app supports editing and deleting messages as well as marking messages as unread. SharePlay has expanded beyond FaceTime, and Messages can be used for communication between people sharing content with one another. FaceTime calls can be handed off from one device to another, and the Health app gains a new Medications feature for tracking the vitamins and medicine that you take.
Where privacy and security are concerned, Apple is now replacing passwords with Passkeys, and the Safari web browser now supports Shared Tab Groups for collaboration. The Mail app allows users to schedule emails, cancel sending, and receive follow-up reminders, and the Maps app supports multi-stop routing.
The iCloud Shared Photo Library allows for additional photo sharing, and Apple Pay Later offers the option to pay for purchases in fee-free installments. iPadOS 16 finally brings a Weather app to the iPad, and a new multi-tasking system called Stage Manager is available for iPads with Apple silicon chips.
If you’ve had a chance to try either the iOS 16 or iPadOS 16 public betas, please let us know about your experience in the comments.
Via MacRumors and beta.apple.com