Apple issues 7th developer & 6th public betas of iOS 10 as final launch approaches

With iOS 10 expected to launch in just a matter of weeks, registered developers were provided with a seventh pre-release beta of the upcoming platform update on Friday, and public testers received their sixth release.

The unexpected launch comes just four days after the sixth developer beta of iOS 10 was released. Friday's iOS 10 beta 7 is identified as build 14A5345a.

The quick turnaround for the latest beta could be an indication that Apple discovered — and quickly squashed — a show-stopping bug in iOS 10 beta 6. New beta releases typically arrive earlier in the week, on a Monday or Tuesday.

Apple is expected to hold a media event on Sept. 7 to announce its next-generation "iPhone 7." If the company sticks to its usual release schedule, a golden master of iOS 10 will arrive that same day, with a final public release soon after.

Also scheduled to be released this fall are watchOS 3, tvOS 10, and macOS Sierra. It's possible that all four platforms could be updated at the same time, though new betas of the non-iOS operating systems were not issued Friday.

When it officially launches, iOS 10 will include major notification improvements, including 3D Touch support on the lock screen. Third-party app developers will also be able to tap into Siri for voice control.

Apple's core iOS apps are also seeing overhauls in the update, especially Messages, which will gain expressive texts and even its own dedicated App Store.