Apple today seeded the seventh beta of its upcoming iOS 16 update to developers. The updates come a week after the release of the sixth developer beta.
Beta builds of iOS 16 are available to developers through the Apple Developer Center or over the air on the devices with the proper configuration installed.
Apple’s release notes for the seventh developer beta are as follows:
Overview
The iOS & iPadOS 16 SDK provides support to develop apps for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch devices running iOS & iPadOS 16 beta 7. The SDK comes bundled with Xcode 14 beta 6, available from Beta Software Downloads. For information on the compatibility requirements for Xcode 14, see Xcode 14 Beta 5 Release Notes.
Accessibility
Resolved in iOS & iPadOS 16 beta 7
- Fixed: The pointer won’t behave correctly on the external display if the Assistive Touch accessibility feature is enabled. (92302190)
CoreGraphics
Deprecations
- To improve security,
CGImage
enforces parameter correctness on macOS 13 Ventura, iOS 16, iPadOS 16, watchOS 9, and tvOS 16. Passing an incorrectCreate CGImage
is no longer supported, and will result in images failing to load. (94855401)Byte Order Info DeviceDiscoveryUI
Known Issues
- Devices running beta 4 or later aren’t backwards compatible with devices running earlier beta versions. (95233878)
Emoji
Known Issues
- The search field for the emoji Lock Screen editor is missing. (88603664)
Home
Known Issues
- The device that initiates the pairing needs to use the same iCloud account as the home hub. Only the owner of a home, not an invited user, can pair Matter accessories. (76012945)
iCloud
Resolved in iOS & iPadOS 16 beta 7
- Fixed: After purchasing a new domain and creating a custom email address, you might be offered to purchase the domain again. (93820872)
Known Issues
- Moving a Remind Me message to another mailbox doesn’t remove the Remind Me banner. (93671992)
Maps
Deprecations
- Don’t use
MKMap
,Landscape MKStandard
,Map Configuration Map Mode [MKMap
, andView configuration] [MKStandard
. Use their functional equivalentsMap Configuration shows Buildings] MKMap
,Elevation Style MKStandard
, andMap Configuration .Emphasis Style preferred
, instead. Additionally,Configuration shows
is now deprecated. (93449747)Buildings Metal
Known Issues
- When using the new Metal mesh shaders feature, render pipeline state objects (PSOs) created with a mesh shader stage but without a object shader stage can fail to compile or fail to work correctly on some devices. (89836551)Workaround: When creating render PSOs with a mesh shader stage, also include a (potentially trivial pass-through) object shader stage.
Deprecations
- The
MTLResource
is deprecated. Use.gpu Handle gpu
instead, which functions as a replacement. (92862429)Resource ID Metal Offline Compiler
Resolved in iOS & iPadOS 16 beta 7
- Fixed: App Store TestFlight distribution of apps with Metal Offline Compiler GPU binaries fails and results in validation errors. (95140728)
Known Issues
Metal
effect outputs aren’t designed to be consumed by the CPU. Outputting to a texture that is read only by the CPU might result in synchronization issues. (91515075)Workaround: If a CPU reading of theFX Metal
output is desired, instead of encoding theFX Metal
effect as the last item in a command buffer, encode a dummy blit that consumes theFX Metal
output texture (a 1-pixel region blit is fine) in the command buffer. After the command buffer with the dummy blit is finished, reading of theFX Metal
effect output texture with CPU synchronizes correctly.FX Networking
Deprecations
- FTP is deprecated for
URLSession
and related APIs. Please adopt modern secure networking protocols such as HTTPS. (92623659)StoreKit
Deprecations
- Deprecated the SKDownload API and removed the option to upload nonconsumable in-app purchase assets for Apple to host. In addition, support for managing these assets in App Store Connect is no longer available as of April 2022. (89764253)
SwiftUI
Known Issues
- Providing actions to a
navigation
modifier has been deprecated. Use theTitle toolbar
modifier orTitle Actions() Toolbar
type in a toolbar modifier instead. (93658035)Title Actions - Lists and tables might not clear their selection when exiting Edit Mode. (94093589)
UIKit
Deprecations
[UIView
has been deprecated is no longer supported.Controller should Autorotate] [UIView
has been deprecated and replaced withController attempt Rotation To Device Orientation] [UIView
.Workaround: Apps relying onController set Needs Update Of Supported Interface Orientations] should
should reflect their preferences using the view controllersAutorotate supported
. If the supported orientations change, use `-[UIViewController setNeedsUpdateOfSupportedInterfaceInterface Orientations Wallet
Known Issues
- American Express cards might need to be removed and re-added to Wallet after updating to iOS & iPadOS 16 beta 6 or later. (97990752)
WeatherKit
Resolved in iOS & iPadOS 16 beta 7
- Fixed: When running in the simulator,
Weather
requests intermittently fail. (96101505)Service
OS 16 brings what Apple calls “the biggest update ever” to the Lock Screen and new sharing, communication, and intelligence features. Also along for the ride is iCloud Shared Photo Library, which allows users seamlessly share a collection of photos with family, updates to the Messages and Mail apps, and enhancements to Live Text and Visual Look Up.
The iOS 16 lock screen experience brings a new multilayered effect, where the subjects of photos are set in front of the time on the Lock Screen, creating a sense of depth. The look of the lock screen date and time can be customized with expressive type styles and color choices.
Lock Screen widgets make it easier to see information at a glance, including calendar events, weather, battery levels, alarms, time zones, Activity ring progress, and much more. Notifications have been redesigned to roll up from the bottom for better visibility.
A new Lock Screen gallery features Apple collections, including Pride and Unity; a Weather wallpaper to see live weather conditions as they change throughout the day; and an Astronomy wallpaper for views of the Earth, moon, and solar system.
Users can also customize Lock Screens with their favorite emoji or color combinations. Multiple Lock Screens can be switched between favorites with a swipe of a finger.
A new Live Activities feature allows users to keep track of real-time events, including sports matches, workouts, food delivery orders, and more, directly from the Lock Screen.
Focus is more powerful, easier to set up, and now connects to the Lock Screen. Users will be able to tie a Lock Screen wallpaper and widgets to a particular Focus. A Focus can be activated with a swipe to the corresponding Lock Screen. Focus filters, allow Calendar, Mail, Messages, and Safari to display only the content that is relevant to a user’s Focus.
iCloud Shared Photo Library allows families to share photos with a separate iCloud library that up to six users can collaborate on, contribute to, and enjoy. Users can choose to share existing photos from their personal libraries, or share based on a start date or people in the photos. A user can also choose to send photos to the Shared Library automatically using a new toggle in the Camera app.
Users will also receive suggestions to share a photo that includes participants in the Shared Photo Library. Every user in the Shared Photo Library has access to add, delete, edit, or favorite the shared photos or videos, which will appear in each user’s Memories and Featured Photos.
Users can edit or recall recently sent messages, recover recently deleted messages, and mark conversations as unread so they can come back to them later. SharePlay is also coming to Messages, making it possible to enjoy synced content like movies or songs and shared playback controls all while chatting in Messages.
Users can schedule emails ahead of time and are even provided an option to cancel delivery of a message before it reaches a recipient’s inbox. Mail also warns users if they forget to include an important part of their message, including attachments. Users also have the option to resurface a message at any date and time with Remind Later, and Follow Up suggestions automatically remind users to follow up on an email if they have not received a response.
Mail also includes a big overhaul to search, which delivers more relevant, accurate, and complete results.
Live Text uses on-device intelligence to recognize text in images across iOS, and it is now expanding to include video. Meanwhile, Visual Look Up takes photos further by introducing a new feature that allows users to tap and hold on the subject of an image to lift it from the background and place it in apps like Messages. Visual Look Up also expands to recognize birds, insects, and statues.
Apple Pay Later provides users in the US with a seamless and secure way to split the cost of an Apple Pay purchase into four equal payments spread over six weeks, with zero interest and no fees. Apple Pay Order Tracking allows users to receive detailed receipts and order tracking information in Wallet for Apple Pay purchases with participating merchants.
Users can use their ID in Wallet for apps requiring identity and age verification. To ensure a private and secure experience, only the necessary information required for the transaction will be provided to the app, and the user can review and consent to share it using Face ID or Touch ID. Additionally, users can securely share their home, hotel, office, and car keys in Wallet through messaging apps, including Messages, Mail, and more.
As usual, MacTrast and Apple both warn users to not install any betas on their daily driver iPhone or iPad. Instead, only install betas on a device set aside for testing purposes.