It’s surprising to see Apple still pushing iOS 16 updates with WWDC and the iOS 17 beta so close.
Apple began the beta testing process for iOS 16.6 just a day after the iOS 16.5 release and about two weeks before the expected first iOS 17 beta arrives at WWDC. The beta was first released to developers first on May 19, and to public beta testers on May 22.
We don’t expect there to be much in the way of new features in this release–iOS 16 is about as mature as it’s going to be, and all eyes are on the impending features announced for iOS 17. Still, small tweaks and usability upgrades are possible just as we got in iOS 16.5, and of course security updates are never-ending.
Update 05/31/23: Apple has released the second beta of iOS 16.6. It is only available for developers now, with the public beta expected soon.iOS 16.6: New features
We don’t yet know what new features to expect in iOS 16.6. We will update this article as we discover what’s new.
iMessage Contact Key Verification: Though not yet exposed to users, the iOS 16.6 betas contain code to enable iMessage Contact Key Verification. This is an enhanced security measure announced last year to verify the authenticity of iMessage users, aimed at those who have extremely high security demands (like those frequently targeted by state-sponsored digital threats).
