iOS 17 Beta 6 Available to Download, Along with iPadOS 17 Beta 6
Apple has released iOS 17 beta 6 and iPadOS 17 beta 6 to iPhone and iPad users wnerolled in the developer beta testing programs.
Usually Apple will release a developer beta build first, and is soon followed by a matching build as public beta. iOS 17 beta 6 is build 21A5312c, which also matches iPadOS 17 beta 6.
Generally beta system software is best reserved for advanced users, but any curious user can proceed to install iOS 17 beta onto their iPhone or iPadOS 17 beta onto their iPad by signing up for the free Apple developer program, or they can use the public beta channels as well. The only real requirement is to have an iPhone that supports iOS 17, and being comfortable with beta system software and the quirks that come along with a beta release.
Separately, Apple has released new beta builds for watchOS 10 beta 6, tvOS beta 6, and HomePod, but curiously absent at the moment is MacOS Sonoma beta 6, which did not get released concurrently.
How to Download iOS 17 Beta 6 / iPadOS 17 Beta 6
If you are currently running iOS 17 beta or iPadOS 17 beta, you can find beta 6 available to download with the usual software update mechanism:
- Open the “Settings” app on iPhone or iPad
- Go to “General”
- Choose “Software Update”
- Select to “Download and Install” for iOS 17 Beta 6 / iPadOS 17 beta 6
The iPhone or iPad must restart to complete installation.
You can downgrade from iOS 17 beta if you decide it’s not right for you, but if you do not have a backup made from iOS 16 you will not be able to restore your data. Thus, using beta system software is not a casual decision.
iOS 17 includes new features for iPhone, including interactive Home Screen widgets, Live Voicemail support, Contact Posters customization, FaceTime Video Voicemail, Safari Profiles, tweaks to the Messages interface, improvements to predictive typing, NameDrop contact sharing, and more.
iPadOS 17 for iPad includes new features as well, including a customizable lock screen, interactive Home Screen widgets, FaceTime Video Voicemail, Safari Profiles support, new Messages capabilities, enhancements for predictive typing, NameDrop for easy contact sharing, improvements to Stage Manager, and more.
Though the exact release date is not known, the final versions of iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 will be released in the fall, according to Apple.
