Rumor: iOS 16 public beta 1 expected later than usual due to ‘buggy’ software

Apple will officially announce iOS 16 and other major updates to its operating systems at the WWDC 2022 kickoff event on June 6. While the first beta is always made available exclusively to developers, a new report from Mark Gurman claimed that the first public beta of iOS 16 will come later than usual.

Gurman said in a tweet that the iOS 16 beta build release schedule is a bit different this year. According to the journalist, Apple has plans to introduce the first public beta of iOS 16 along with the third developer beta in July. Typically, the first public beta of a new iOS version comes along with the second developer beta.

The reason, according to Gurman, is that the current internal builds are “a bit buggy.” As a result, Apple engineers will need more time to make iOS 16 beta stable enough before letting anyone install it on iPhone and iPad devices.

It’s worth noting that iOS builds are compiled days or even weeks before they are officially released. This means that, by now, Apple has probably wrapped up the first beta of iOS 16 that will be available to developers shortly after the WWDC 2022 event next month. Of course, Apple may still have time to improve the second beta of iOS 16 so that it can be released to the public in late June.

iOS 16 rumors

According to recent rumors, iOS 16 is expected to bring significant improvements to notifications as well as a new interface for iPadOS multitasking. 9to5Mac reported earlier this year that Apple has been working on adding expanded settings for Focus Mode in iOS 16.

As for watchOS 9, another report from Gurman reveals that the update will bring “major upgrades to activity and health tracking.” He also believes that most watch faces will be redesigned to take advantage of the larger Apple Watch Series 7 screen.

WWDC 2022 begins June 6, with online sessions through June 10. More details can be found on Apple’s website.