Apple released the iOS 16.6 release candidate to public beta testers and developers Tuesday, about a week after the company released iOS 17 to public beta testers. An iOS release candidate is usually the final version of an update before it’s released to the general public, so expect iOS 16.6 to land on your iPhone soon. Though iOS 16.6 has a few new features, we expect this update to consist of mostly bug fixes and security patches as Apple prepares for iOS 17’s fall release.
New iOS features can be fun, but we recommend only downloading a beta on something other than your primary phone just in case the new software causes issues. Apple also provides beta testers with an app called Feedback. Testers can notify Apple of any issues in the new software with the app, so the problem can be addressed before general release.
Here’s what could be coming to your iPhone with iOS 16.6.
iMessage Contact Key Verification
Apple announced iMessage Contact Key Verification in December 2022 alongside Security Keys for your iCloud account.
“With iMessage Contact Key Verification, users who face extraordinary digital threats … can choose to further verify that they are messaging only with the people they intend,” Apple wrote in a news release at the time.
The first iOS 16.6 beta appeared to include some of the framework for Contact Key Verification, but with iOS 16.6 beta 2, that seems to have disappeared. If you went to Settings and searched for “Contact Key Verification” in the first iOS 16.6 beta, you could see an option for the feature. But that option vanished in the second iOS 16.6 beta.
More Beats Studio Buds icons
The second iOS 16.6 beta adds two new color icons for Beats Studio Buds, according to the website Gadget Hacks. The new color icons are for the ivory and transparent Beats Studio Buds, so if you have either of those earbuds you should see those icons on your iPhone with the latest beta.
New iCloud for Windows prompt
Gadget Hacks also reports iOS 16.6 beta 2 adds a new prompt when you try to log into iCloud for Windows when your iPhone and Windows computer aren’t on the same Wi-Fi network. The new prompt reportedly advises you to use a different network and that your iPhone and Windows computer need to be on the same network.
Apple hasn’t announced a release date for iOS 16.6, but with the appearance of the release candidate, iOS 16.6 will likely be available soon. Apple might include more features in iOS 16.6, and there’s no guarantee that the features mentioned above will be included in the update.
For more iOS news, check out what features we’re most excited about in iOS 17. You can also take a look at why you should download iOS 16.5.1 (c) now and features you might have missed in iOS 16.5.