Apple took to the virtual stage in early June to reveal iOS 16, and in true Apple fashion, it released the developer betas available on the same day. The company also teased that eager fans would be able to get in on the action early with the iOS 16 public beta, but an exact release date is yet to be set.
iOS 16 brings with it a number of key upgrades, including a redesigned lock screen with photo shuffles and live activities, updates to Focus, Wallet, Maps, Parental Controls and SharePlay, the ability to edit messages and an improved Dictation experience. We detail the key iOS 16 features separately for those that want to find out more about the update before installing the public beta.
The question is, when will Apple release the iOS 16 public beta? Here’s all you need to know.
When will I be able to download the iOS 16 public beta?
Apple confirmed during WWDC 2022 that iOS 16 will be available in the form of a public beta due to launch in July. But when exactly in July should we expect the iOS 16 public beta program to kick off?
While Apple is yet to confirm a specific date, we can look back at previous iOS public betas to get an idea.
In the early years of the program, the public beta dropped in June; the iOS 12 public beta started on 25 June 2018, and the iOS 13 public beta kicked off on 24 June 2019. However, the pandemic forced Apple to delay WWDC in 2020, pushing it from its usual early June timeframe to late June, and this meant the iOS 14 public beta launched a little later, on 9 July 2020. Last year, iOS 15 was publicly released on 30 June 2021, earlier than expected.
With a confirmed July release, we expect it to be available around 7 July 2022. Of course, this is just an estimation – we will update this section once we get confirmation from Apple, so head back soon for the latest public beta release details.
Does my iPhone support the iOS 16 public beta?
Here’s a list of all the models of iPhone that will support iOS 16:
iPhone 12 Pro Max
iPhone 12 Pro
iPhone 12 Mini
iPhone 12
iPhone SE (second-gen)
iPhone 11 Pro Max
iPhone 11 Pro
iPhone 11
iPhone XS Max
iPhone XS
iPhone XR
iPhone X
iPhone 8 Plus
iPhone 8
Unfortunately, this means that older models of iPhone (anything released before the iPhone 8) are not supported, so this includes iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 7, iPhone 6S Plus, iPhone 6S and iPhone SE (first-gen).
