Apple releases first public beta of iOS 16 and iPadOS 16

Apple releases the first public beta of iOS 16 for those interested. The test version of the operating system includes a variety of new functionalities, including a customizable lockscreen and a Lockdown mode.

The first public beta of the upcoming iPhone operating system follows three versions of iOS 16 for developers and is largely identical to the most recent Developer version. As it is inherently a relatively unstable release of the operating system, Apple cautions that testers should be aware of any bugs in the software. The company advises everyone to make a backup of the current device before installing the beta software.

With iOS 16, Apple is introducing a variety of new features to its ecosystem, including a variety of lockscreen additions and tweaks. Recently, a Lockdown mode for overall cybersecurity and a more extensive backup function were added to the operating system.

iPadOS 16 is also available as a public beta at the time of writing. Many of iOS’s new features are also coming to the tablet operating system. In addition, the window management system will be extended for iPads with an M1 soc.

Presumably, iOS 16 will be released simultaneously with the upcoming iPhone 14, which is usually in September. The operating system will also be released for the iPhone X, iPhone 8 and newer models. The updated iPadOS is available for all iPad Pros since 2015 and all other iPads since 2017.