Tag: iPadOS 16 Beta Watch

Wow, I did not see this one coming. While reports on iPadOS 16 being delayed into fall has been floating around, the fact that Apple not only confirms this, but also completely skips version 16.0 is just astounding. Apple gave the following statement to TechCrunch:

This is an especially big year for iPadOS. As its own platform with features specifically designed for iPad, we have the flexibility to deliver iPadOS on its own schedule. This Fall, iPadOS will ship after iOS, as version 16.1 in a free software update.

This is significant in many ways. The statement was shortly followed by a new iPadOS 16 developer beta, the seventh thus far.

It’s almost as if these things are scheduled, isn’t it? Anyway, the sixth iPadOS 16 developer beta is out, alongside various other betas for Apple platforms, as usual. Expect the fourth public beta to arrive shortly, too.

This is possibly the shortest post on Switch to iPad thus far. Don’t worry, I’m not turning it into a habit.

The fifth iPadOS 16 developer beta has started to roll out (release notes), and it does look like there are some improvements to Stage Manager, among other fixes. I’ve yet to play with this one as I’m deep in Switch to iPad fixes as a result of that 100 issue survey I did a while back, but I’m looking forward to it. There are quite a few quirky things with Stage Manager, especially related to following links that open external apps, which then might not happen in the logical view, as well as plenty of render bugs. I stopped using an external monitor with beta 3 as I found it unreliable, but having a go at that is long overdue.

Stage Manager is, presumably, the reason Apple seems to be pushing the iPadOS 16 launch to October. Meanwhile, iOS 16 is still due in September, if the Apple Rumor Mill™️ is to be expected. In the end, only Apple knows for sure.

Update: The third public beta was released shortly after the fifth developer beta.

It sounds like Apple wants some additional time to get work done on iPadOS 16, something that might not come as such a surprise if you’re running the beta. There’s still work to be done, and traditionally, iPadOS version has launched alongside iOS versions. The latter, being iOS 16, is likely in September, but iPadOS 16 might have to wait until October.

I’m back, briefly, from my vacation/rebuilding phase to tell you that the fourth iPadOS 16 developer beta, and the second public beta, is now available. Looking at the list of updates on Apple’s developer site, it sure looks like plenty of fixes. Betas are always like this, obviously, but Apple have a tendency to postpone features for later versions during this phase. This has already happened with the smart live updates for iOS 16, so it could come to iPadOS specific features as well. I’m excited to dig into the fourth developer beta, and see how Stage Manager – the premier feature for iPadOS 16 – is improving.

In other news, Apple’s fiscals are out. I’ll leave the number-crunching to Jason Snell over at Six Colors.

Oh, and don’t worry too much about that iTunes Connect email about missing banking details, if you’re a new developer without any published apps. It seems to have been sent to anyone not having set up an account for receiving payments, which, obviously, could be premature if you’re just starting out. That said, do check your settings, just to be safe.

As expected, the third iPadOS 16 developer beta hit yesterday, and the public beta followed swiftly. This means that anyone with an Apple ID, and a sense of adventure, can download the iPadOS 16 beta and help test it out.

Now, I’ve been running iPadOS 16 since the first developer beta, and while things are improving with each release, please keep in mind that this is unfinished software. You’ll get sudden reboots, especially if you’re pushing Stage Manager and using an external monitor, and things will get wonky for you. Some apps just won’t work as intended, and expect the onscreen keyboard to misbehave. It’s not recommended to run the public beta, or any beta really, on your primary device. Some of you will anyway, obviously, but fair warning.

Get on the public beta program here!