Apple Seeds Fourth Betas of iOS 16.6 and iPadOS 16.6 to Developers - MacRumorsOpen MenuShow RoundupsShow Forums menuVisit ForumsOpen Sidebar
Skip to Content

Apple Seeds Fourth Betas of iOS 16.6 and iPadOS 16.6 to Developers

by

Apple today seeded the fourth betas of upcoming iOS 16.6 and iPadOS 16.6 updates to developers for testing purposes, with the software coming over two weeks after the release of the third betas.

iOS 16
Registered developers can opt in to the betas by opening up the Settings app, going to Software Update, tapping on the “Beta Updates” option and toggling on the iOS 16 Developer Beta. Note that an Apple ID associated with a developer account is required to download and install the beta.

iOS 16.6 and iPadOS 16.6 lay the groundwork for iMessage Contact Key Verification. It is meant to let Apple device owners verify that they are messaging with the people they intend to message rather than a malicious entity that has intercepted a message or is eavesdropping on a conversation.

The feature is designed for Apple users who are facing “extraordinary digital threats.” Apple intends for iMessage Contact Key Verification to be used by journalists, human rights activists, government officials, and others who are in danger of malicious digital attacks from state-sponsored attackers or other malicious actors.

Apple said that iMessage Contact Key Verification would be available on the iPhone and other Apple devices at some point in 2023, and it is one of the last features we are expecting to see in iOS 16. In the first beta, hints of iMessage Contact Key were available, but the option was not fully enabled.

Related Forum: iOS 16

Popular Stories

Apple Card iPhone 16 Pro Feature

Apple Card Promo to Offer Free AirPods Pro 3

Friday May 15, 2026 8:59 am PDT by
Starting as early as next week, customers who sign up for an Apple Card at Apple's retail stores in the U.S. will receive $249 cash back when they purchase AirPods Pro 3, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The promotion has yet to be officially announced by Apple, so exact terms and conditions are not available at this time. AirPods Pro 3 are priced at $249 in the U.S., so customers who...
Read Full Article • 46 comments
Apple WWDC25 iOS 26 CarPlay Light mode 250609

Six Popular iPhone Apps Now Available on CarPlay

Thursday May 14, 2026 9:10 am PDT by
Apple's CarPlay system for accessing iPhone apps on a vehicle's dashboard screen has received six popular apps in recent weeks: ChatGPT, Perplexity, Grok, Google Meet, WhatsApp, and the indie artist streaming platform Audiomack. Make sure you have the latest version of each app and they will automatically appear on CarPlay. ChatGPT Starting with iOS 26.4, CarPlay supports voice-based...
Read Full Article • 29 comments
ipad mini 7 blue

OLED iPad Mini: Release Date, Pricing, and What to Expect

Thursday May 14, 2026 5:08 am PDT by
According to the latest rumors, Apple is close to launching its next-generation iPad mini. So what should we expect from the successor to the iPad mini 7 that Apple released over a year ago? Read on to find out. Processor and Performance Apple is working on a next-generation version of the iPad mini (codename J510/J511) that features the A19 Pro chip, according to information found in code...
Read Full Article • 87 comments

Top Rated Comments

ThomasJL Avatar
ThomasJL
38 months ago

Same. Still on 15.7 on my iPhone 8, waiting to see how 16.6 turns out to be. I was going to update to 16.5.1 but that SMS bug has me doubting.
I wish I had stayed on iOS 15. I'm using an iPhone SE (2nd generation) which has an A13 processor. Although iOS 16.5 is still buggy, even if the upcoming iOS 16.6 was somehow miraculously free of bugs, if I were on iOS 15.7, I would probably stay on iOS 15.7 for the faster speed. Every iOS 16 version I've used has been slow and laggy.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sbailey4 Avatar
sbailey4
38 months ago

What modem firmwares and carrier profiles are in this build?
Here is the best place to find your answer. First post. All models listed.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/ios-16-6-beta-4-bug-fixes-changes-and-improvements.2394346/
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Populus Avatar
Populus
38 months ago

Still on 15.7, hoping 16.6.1 won't take forever to arrive.
Same. Still on 15.7 on my iPhone 8, waiting to see how 16.6 turns out to be. I was going to update to 16.5.1 but that SMS bug has me doubting.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
S
Stromos
38 months ago
Public Beta is available.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ThomasJL Avatar
ThomasJL
38 months ago

I hope you don’t mind it if I ask you how iOS 16.6 feels on your SE2 once it’s released (if I remember to lol). I still have hope that this version is indeed much smoother and snappier.
I don't mind at all. I'll be glad to reply.

By the way, I've been using iPhones since 2009, so I'm very familiar with them. iOS 16.5 introduced a new problem for me, which has not been fixed by iOS 16.5.1 (the version I'm currently on):
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/ios-16-5-notifications-not-working-consistently.2390110/
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
D
dfwiddoc
38 months ago

What modem firmwares and carrier profiles are in this build?
Thank you for posting something more productive than the usual tedious whining about how inept the firmware release is. The modem firmware is 1.80.01. I believe the carrier profile depends on which cellular service is installed on the phone—mine, for AT&T, is 54.0.1.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments