iOS 16 Public Beta 1 & iPadOS 16 Public Beta 1 Available to Download

Apple has released the first public beta builds of iOS 16 and iPadOS 16. The public beta programs offers the opportunity for any user to beta test the upcoming system software versions, without having to be an Apple developer.

iOS 16 features a revamped customizable lock screen with widgets, support for different lock screens with different Focus modes, the ability to edit sent messages, the ability to mark messages as unread, FaceTime handoff support, the ability to schedule emails with Mail app, new iCloud Shared Photo Library features, and more.

iPadOS 16 includes the features from iOS 16 minus the customizable lock screen, plus a new Stage Manager multitasking capability, and the inclusion of Weather app on iPad.

Beta system software is much less reliable than stable versions of system software, and therefore installing the iOS 16 public beta or iPadOS 16 public beta on a primary device is not recommended. If you have a secondary iPad or older iPhone, those would be better for beta testing the operating systems with.

Anyone interested in getting the iOS 16 public beta or iPadOS 16 public beta onto their iPhone or iPad can do so now by enrolling their device in the beta program from Apple here. You will want to make sure you backup your device before beginning, both to iCloud and to an archived iTunes backup, so that you can downgrade from iOS 16 beta if you wish to. We will detail the process of installing public betas in separate articles.

You will need an iPadOS 16 compatible iPad or iOS 16 compatible iPhone to be able to install the betas as well.

The final stable versions of iOS 16 and iPadOS 16 are set to arrive in the fall.

Separately, Apple also released the first public beta of macOS Ventura today.