Apple has seeded the fourth betas of iOS 16.6 and iPadOS 16.6 updates to developers for testing. The new betas come two weeks following the release of the third betas.
The developer beta builds are available to developers that opt into the betas by going to “Settings” -> “Software Update,” then tapping on the “Beta Updates” option and turning on the iOS 16 Developer Beta. 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, which is meant to allow Apple device owners to 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.
This is likely one of the last updates we’ll see to both iOS 16 and iPadOS 16, as Apple is now concentrating on the development of iOS 17 and iPadOS 17, which it previewed at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June.
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.