Apple has released to developers the third beta of iOS 16.1, tvOS 16.1 and watchOS 9.1, the fourth beta of iPadOS 16.1, which Apple began testing prior to the launch of iOS 16, and the ninth beta of macOS 13 Ventura. All these betas come one week after the previous ones. For the beta of iOS 16.1 and iPadOS 16.1 we go from build 20B5050f to 20B5056e; watchOS 9.1 beta moves from 20S5049d to 20S5055e; tvOS 16.1 moves from 20K5046d to 20K5052c.
All developers they can install betas in OTA mode, directly through the appropriate menu in the system settings of iOS, iPadOS and macOS, after having previously downloaded and installed the profiles available on the Apple Developer Center. The related public betas for subscribers to Apple’s free test program are also expected in the next few hours.
For installation on iPhone and iPad it is necessary to have at least 20% of remaining charge or better yet, keep the device connected to the mains during the update. For watchOS the app on the connected iPhone must be used and Apple Watch must have at least 50% autonomy and be within range of the iPhone‌ it is associated with. To install the beta on tvOS you need to download the profile ‌‌ using Xcode. Before updating It is always advisable to perform a system backup.
As usual, being still beta versions, we recommend installing them only on devices that are not used daily as there may still be bugs that could penalize the user experience.
With this beta of iOS 16.1, in addition to the possibility of switch from one wallpaper to another also from the settings (not only from the lockscreen), support for “Real-time Activities” has been introduceda new feature that allows you to always keep an eye on a series of activities in progress (with a very precise beginning and end) directly from the lock screen.
It will be possible, for example, to stay informed about the result of a sporting event, the route of a delivery or a taxi without unlocking the device. On the iPhone 14 Pro this information will be shown on the Dynamic Island.
At the moment, of course, these “Live Activities” are still not viewable on the iPhone as there is still no support in the apps that developers can now start updating using the APIs called ActivityKit. It is conceivable that many apps will be ready in time for the public release of iOS 16.1.
With this iOS 16.1 beta also comes the new Clean Energy Charging function (US only), which will allow you to specifically charge your device when low-carbon electricity is available, and introduces a first support for Matterthe new open standard for the smart home that will allow interoperability between devices from different companies.
With the fourth beta of iPadOS 16.1, albeit with some limitations, Apple has expanded the availability of the Stage Manager feature also to the iPad Pro 2018 and 2020 equipped, respectively, with the A12Z and A12X chips. Previously, Stage Manager was limited to iPad Pro and Air with M1 processor only.
Apple also has temporarily removed with this beta the support for the external display by Stage Manager. This feature, however, is expected to be integrated into iPadOS later this year, only on iPads with an M1 processor or higher.
As for macOS 13 Ventura, this beta does not bring any further news but it mainly goes to improve the performance and stability of the system in view of the public release, expected in the coming weeks.
With macOS Ventura, we recall, will arrive Stage Manager, the Continuity Camera function to use the iPhone as a webcam, a series of new features in Mail and a design change, in line with iOS, for the system settings menu.
