Apple seeds fourth developer beta of iOS 16 and iPadOS 16

Apple has shifted over to the fourth beta round of iOS 16 and iPadOS 16, with developers now able to download and try out the fourth builds of the operating systems.

The latest builds can be downloaded via the Apple Developer Center for those enrolled in the test program or via an over-the-air update on devices running the beta software.

Public beta versions of the developer builds are usually issued shortly after the developer versions, but typically not after the initial few builds of the initial milestone betas. When they do, they can be acquired from the Apple Beta Software Program website.

The third developer betas for iOS 16 and iPadOS 16 arrived on July 6, the second round landed on June 22, while the first arrived after the WWDC keynote on June 6. Final public versions are expected to be released by the fall.

The fourth build for iOS 16 and iPadOS 16 is 20A5328h, replacing the third build, number 20A5312g.

The feature changes in iOS 16 start with a new Lock Screen that's highly customizable, along with updates to Focus Modes, improvements to Photos, Messages editing and SharePlay, improved device intelligence, enhanced controller support, Apple Pay Later, and other elements.

Apple's improvements to iPadOS 16 include the introduction of Stage Manager for some iPad Pro models to better handle app windows on multiple displays, along with many iOS 16 changes.

The third beta added a Lockdown mode that disabled various commonly-exploited aspects, one intended for use by activists, journalists, and government officials who may become targets of hacking. Apple also included the first implementation of the shared Photos library, tweaks to the Lock Screen, and changes to Stage Manager.

AppleInsider, and Apple itself, strongly recommend users don't install the betas on to "mission-critical" or primary devices, as there is the remote possibility of data loss or other issues. Instead, testers should install betas onto secondary or non-essential devices, and to make sure there are sufficient backups of important data before updating.

Find any changes in the new betas? Reach out to us on Twitter at @AppleInsider or @Andrew_OSU, or send Andrew an email at andrew@AppleInsider.com.