Beta 4 of iOS 16.2, iPadOS 16.2, and MacOS Ventura 13.1 Available for Testing

Apple has released the fourth beta versions of iOS 16.2, iPadOS 16.2, and macOS Ventura 13.1.

Both the developer beta version and public beta version are available now.

iOS 16.2 beta includes support for the Freeform app, along with support for a medication widget and sleep widget for the iPhone lock screen.

iPadOS 16.2 beta also includes support for the Freeform app, and includes support for Stage Manager to use external displays on iPad models with M1 chips or better.

MacOS Ventura 13.1 beta includes support for the Freeform app, and presumably also aims to patch bugs that exist on prior Ventura releases.

The Freeform app is a collaborative canvas app that allows users to take notes, doodle, and add other content to a digital canvas, with each users content contributions being tagged to identify them.

MacOS Ventura beta testers can find MacOS Ventura 13.1 beta 4 to download now from the  Apple menu > System Settings > Software Update.

iPhone and iPad beta testers can find iOS 16.2 beta 4 to download for their devices from Settings app > General > Software Update.

While running beta releases of system software is mostly aimed at advanced users and developers, even for more casual users it can be insightful to simply track the issuing of beta system software versions, which can offer insight into coming features, bug fixes, improvements, and when to roughly expect major software updates for user devices.

Given that Apple usually goes through multiple beta versions of system software before releasing a final version to the general public, it’s reasonable to expect a public release of macOS Ventura 13.1, iOS 16.2, and iPadOS 16.2 sometime this month, likely before the holidays.

Currently, the latest stable final builds of Apple system software are iOS 16.1.2 for iPhone, iPadOS 16.1.1 for iPad, and macOS Ventura 13.0.1 for Mac.