iOS 16 beta 7 released, iOS 16 official version is coming

Only one week after the last beta version, iOS 16 beta 7 was released on August 24. As the launch of the iPhone 14 series is getting closer, Apple has accelerated the fine-tuning of its iPhone software updates, hoping to debug the official version of iOS 16 before the release of the iPhone 14 series.

iOS 16 beta 7 is now available for developers, and if Apple follows the same pattern as it did with iOS 16 beta 6, which was released a week ago, a public beta could appear within 24 hours. The new version of iOS 16 continues the accelerated pace of beta updates, which is usually a clear sign that the official version of iOS 16 is coming.

In fact, before releasing iOS 16 beta 7, Apple engineers have completed debugging the official version of iOS 16, and the software update will be released in September along with watchOS 9. At the same time, the official version of iPadOS 16 may be delayed because Apple confirmed that iPads will not receive their software updates before iOS 16 arrives.

Reports last week indicated that the date of the iPhone 14 series launch event is September 7 local time, when the company should unveil the iPhone 14 series and other new products. Given Apple's past record, major iOS updates are usually pushed to iPhone users before the new phones are available. The news indicates that September 16 is expected to be the release date of the iPhone 14 series, which means that the official version of iOS 16 will be released sometime that week. In other words, there are about three weeks left before the official release of iOS 16.

As such, you won’t find a ton of new features in iOS 16 beta 7. I didn’t find any, anyway. Apple only notes that this version includes “bug fixes and improvements” along with full release notes that provide more details on what’s been tweaked. Last week’s iOS 16 beta 6 update also had no new content, with the biggest changes involving the return of the iOS 16 home screen and a modification to the battery percentage indicator.

Our iOS 16 public beta hands-on details the bigger changes coming with this software update. iOS 16 lets you customize your iPhone lock screen, adding widgets for weather forecasts, upcoming appointments, and other details. Many built-in apps gain new features, like the ability to edit text in messages using iOS 16's Live Text feature, or capture captions from videos. iOS 16 introduces a new Fitness app, as Maps, Safari, Photos, and other returning apps see a slew of improvements.

You can download and install the iOS 16 public beta right now, and the software is so complete that I'm currently using the public beta on my daily iPhone. But even if you don't want to install beta software on your phone, you can always wait for the official iOS 16 software in three weeks.