iOS 16.1 RC & iPadOS 16.1 RC Released for Beta Testers

Apple has issued the release candidate (or golden master) builds of iOS 16.1 and iPadOS 16.1 for users who are enrolled in the beta testing programs for iPhone and iPad system software.

Release Candidate (RC) builds are typically the final version of system software in a beta development cycle, making it probable these builds (20B79) will match the final versions released to the general public next week.

iPadOS 16.1 includes Stage Manager which is a new multitasking interface for some iPad models, along with all of the features of iOS 16 (minus lock screen customizations) including undo message sending, message editing, undo mail sending, email scheduling, iCloud Shared Photo Library, and many more smaller features.

iOS 16.1 for iPhone includes support for iCloud Shared Photo Library, Live Activities on the lock screen, and brings the battery percentage indicator to additional iPhone models. The iOS 16.1 update also presumably resolves some lingering iOS 16 problems that are experienced by some users.

Users who are enrolled in either public beta or developer beta testing programs for iOS or iPadOS can find the iOS 16.1 RC and iPadOS 16.1 RC builds available to download now from Settings > General > Software Update.

iPadOS 16.1 & iOS 16.1 Release Date: October 24

Apple also announced today that both iOS 16.1 and iPadOS 16.1 will be released to the public on October 24.

Separately, Apple also released a release candidate build of macOS Ventura.

iOS 16.1 Release Notes

Release notes included with iOS 16.1 RC are as follows:

iOS 16.1
This update introduces iCloud Shared Photo Library making it easy to keep your family photos up to date. This release also adds support for third party apps in Live Activities, support for Apple Fitness+ on iPhone even if you don’t have an Apple Watch, and includes other features and bug fixes for your iPhone.

iCloud Shared Photo Library
– Separate library for seamlessly sharing photos and videos with up to five other people
– Setup rules allow you to easily contribute past photos based on start date or people in the photos when you set up or join a library
– Library filters for quickly switching between viewing the Shared Library, your Personal Library, or both libraries together
– Shared edits and permissions let everyone add, edit, favorite, caption, and delete photos
– Sharing toggle in Camera lets you choose to send photos you take straight to the Shared Library, or enable a setting to share automatically when other participants are detected nearby using Bluetooth

Live Activities
– Live Activities from third party apps are available in the Dynamic Island and on the Lock Screen for iPhone 14 Pro models

Fitness+
– Apple Fitness+ is supported on iPhone even if you don’t have an Apple Watch

Wallet
– Key sharing enables you to securely share car, hotel room, and other keys in Wallet using messaging apps such as Messages and WhatsApp
– Savings account enables Apple Card customers to grow their Daily Cash by depositing it in a high yield savings account

Home
– Matter, the new smart home connectivity standard, is supported enabling a wide variety of smart home accessories to work together across ecosystems

Clean Energy Charging
– New setting that can try to reduce your carbon footprint by selectively charging when lower carbon emission electricity is available

Books
– Reader controls are automatically hidden as you start reading

This update also includes bug fixes for your iPhone:
– Deleted conversations may appear in the conversations list in Messages
– Dynamic Island content is not available when using Reachability
– CarPlay may fail to connect when using a VPN app

The most recent stable builds available to the general public of iOS are iOS 16.0.3 for iPhone and iPadOS 15.7 for iPad.