iOS 16 Public Beta for iPhone Expected to Be Released This Week [Now Out]

Monday July 11, 2022 9:19 am PDT by Joe Rossignol

Apple is expected to release the first public beta of iOS 16 for the iPhone this week, allowing anyone to test the software update for free.

iOS 16 Customizable Lock Screen
In a tweet last month, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said the iOS 16 public beta should be released during the week of July 11. Gurman said the public beta is expected to correspond with the third developer beta of iOS 16 released last week.

It's unclear which day of the week the iOS 16 public beta will be released. Given that embargoed reviews of the new MacBook Air are expected to be published on Thursday, it is possible that Apple will opt to release the iOS 16 public beta by Wednesday at the latest to spread out the news. Last year, the iOS 15 public beta was released on a Wednesday.

For those wondering where iOS 16 beta 2 is, the public beta (developer beta 3) should be out the week of July 11. So, based on past history, I’d guess that beta 2 is next week, with beta 3 to follow 2 weeks after that. — Mark Gurman (@markgurman) June 21, 2022

Apple typically releases new betas shortly after 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time, which is 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time or 6:00 p.m. in the U.K.

At WWDC last month, Apple announced that public betas of iOS 16, iPadOS 16, macOS Ventura, watchOS 9, and tvOS 16 would be released in July. Apple will also be releasing a public beta of HomePod software version 16, which is based on tvOS.

To get ready for the iOS 16 public beta, sign up for the free Apple Beta Software Program directly on an iPhone. The program lets you install a custom profile on your device that will enable you to install the beta over the air via Settings > Software Update when released. Public beta testers can provide feedback to Apple using the Feedback Assistant app.

While the iOS 16 beta has been relatively stable, it is still a beta, so you may encounter bugs, incompatible apps, reduced battery life, and other issues. Think carefully before deciding to install the public beta on an iPhone that you rely on for daily use.

iOS 16 is compatible with the iPhone 8 and newer. The software update, which should be released to all users in September, introduces a customizable Lock screen, the ability to edit or unsend iMessages, and many other new features.

Update: Apple has released the iOS 16 public beta.

Tag: Mark Gurman

Related Forum: iOS 16

Popular Stories

Mark Gurman: Apple Made 'Major Mistake' With iPhone Duo Pre-Orders

Sunday October 18, 2026 7:33 am PDT by Joe Rossignol

Despite knowing that the iPhone Duo would face "severe supply constraints" due to manufacturing challenges, Apple chose to begin iPhone Duo pre-orders on Friday instead of waiting until it had more inventory ready, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In his Power On newsletter today, he called this decision a "major mistake." "Let me cut to the chase: Apple made a major mistake here," he...

• 229 comments

Home Hub Command Center with Dome Base Feature

Apple Smart Home Hub to Feature iMac G4-Style Design

Wednesday September 30, 2026 4:36 am PDT by Hartley Charlton

Apple's long-rumored smart home hub will have an iMac G4-style design and a host of unique features, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports. The smart home hub is said to feature a square 6-inch display, with variants that can be placed on a countertop or mounted on a wall. It features a single FaceTime camera on the front, with microphones and speakers in its connected base. Gurman described the...

• 219 comments

Three New Apple Smart Home Products Coming on October 13

Wednesday September 30, 2026 4:04 am PDT by Hartley Charlton

Apple plans to introduce a series of new smart home products on Tuesday, October 13, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Apple reportedly plans to debut its long-awaited smart home hub device, a new HomePod mini, and a new Apple TV on the date. The new HomePod mini and Apple TV are set to retain their existing designs, but tout faster chips to support Siri AI. The new HomePod mini will...

• 57 comments

Top Rated Comments

AppleFan91

56 months ago

Oddly enough - Beta 3 has been by far the buggiest for me. 1 & 2 were fairly smooth but 3 has given me a ton of issues with apps crashing and issues with screen orientation issues. (It will rotate to landscape, then not rotate back, etc). Also, tapping on notifications on the Lock Screen does nothing for me, rather than going to the app. Pretty weird stuff.

Autocorrect, oddly enough, has been horrendous too.

Probably the worst beta to onboard public testers, but we’ll see, maybe I’m a 1-off

Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Premium1

56 months ago

So far it’s a big ass mess. I hope they sort it out a few betas from now. I doubt many people will understand the work flow at this stage. Hell, I still don’t understand how to add a different Home Screen wallpaper from their suggestions without changing / adding a separate lockscreen wallpaper as well

That is the most frustrating and had me confused when I was first setting it up.

Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)

contacos

56 months ago

Can't wait to try out the new lockscreen customisation! 1 for work focus and 1 for study focus etc

So far it’s a big ass mess. I hope they sort it out a few betas from now. I doubt many people will understand the work flow at this stage. Hell, I still don’t understand how to add a different Home Screen wallpaper from their suggestions without changing / adding a separate lockscreen wallpaper as well

Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Premium1

56 months ago

Does it already contain the new HomeKit architecture ?
I couldn't find anything at all about this.

Do we only need to install the latest beta on a hub (like tvOS 16 for example)?
Or does every device that interact with HomeKit also need to be updated?

The upsides of having a HomeKit that finally works as it should could overcome the downsides of being riddled with bugs because it's of course just a beta.

"In our testing thus far, it's hard to see much of a difference though. This is likely because Apple warns that all devices that communicate with HomeKit must be running the latest versions. Currently, several devices in our home are not running the betas." Everything new coming to HomeKit in IOS16 ('https://appleinsider.com/articles/22/06/09/everything-new-coming-to-homekit-in-ios-16')

Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Kylo83

56 months ago

Nothing in iOS 16 is existing for me; the Lock Screen looks kiddish and apart from that it’s more of a 15.7 update

Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)

W£S

56 months ago

"In our testing thus far, it's hard to see much of a difference though. This is likely because Apple warns that all devices that communicate with HomeKit must be running the latest versions. Currently, several devices in our home are not running the betas." Everything new coming to HomeKit in IOS16 ('https://appleinsider.com/articles/22/06/09/everything-new-coming-to-homekit-in-ios-16')

Talking about the new HomeKit app, I find it very frustrating that they changed the way the buttons work.

Don’t understand who in the right mind would allocate just 20% of the button to turn on/off lights which is used everyday, and 80% of the button to go into settings which is hardly used after set up.

See details in the post below.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/ios16-homeapps-button-redesign-doesnt-make-sense.2351238/

Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Read All Comments

iOS 16 Public Beta for iPhone Expected to Be Released This Week [Now Out]

Popular Stories

Mark Gurman: Apple Made 'Major Mistake' With iPhone Duo Pre-Orders

Apple Smart Home Hub to Feature iMac G4-Style Design

Three New Apple Smart Home Products Coming on October 13

Top Rated Comments

Next Article

Videos

Guides

Upcoming

Other Stories