On Thursday, June 15, Apple released iOS 16.6 Beta 3 to developers, with a public release expected soon. The update, compatible with all iOS 16-supported devices, brings some new minor features and updates, according to a hands-on by Zollotech.
Here is what was released yesterday for developers:
iOS 16.6 Beta 3 is a relatively compact update, with a size of 562.1 megabytes on the iPhone 14 Pro. It includes a modem update that could potentially enhance cellular connectivity.
One of the significant updates is the added support for the latest Macs, including the new 15-inch MacBook Air, M2 Mac Pro, and M2 Mac Studio.
Apple has also made some changes in the Wallet app, specifically updating the wording related to setting up Apple Card Family, which is only applicable to U.S. customers.
iOS 16.6 Beta 3 also anticipates the introduction of the iMessage Contact Key Verification feature. This feature, designed to add an extra layer of security when communicating with contacts, was expected to be released earlier but may now be included in the final release of iOS 16.6.
In terms of performance, the new update seems to deliver a smooth and responsive experience. However, users may notice their devices feeling a bit warmer than usual, possibly due to background processing.
Battery life on the betas was seen as normal, but also better on iOS 17 betas. Benchmarks run on Zollotech’s iPhone showed a bit lower scores for multi-core but higher for single-core.
Despite these improvements, there was a persistent notification bug in the update. Notifications jump on the lockscreen, which is weird. Major security updates are also expected with iOS 16.6, but Apple will not release details until the public release.
The release notes for the update mention a few known issues, including one related to pairing the first matter accessory in a new home and another related to Xcode.
