Apple issues fifth developer beta of iOS 16 and iPadOS 16

Apple is now on the fifth round of milestone operating system testing, providing developer beta testers more builds of iOS 16 and iPadOS 16.

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

Public beta versions of the developer builds generally arrive shortly after the developer counterparts. They can be acquired from the Apple Beta Software Program website.

The fourth developer betas for iOS 16 and iPadOS 16 landed on July 27, following the third from July 6, and the second round from June 22. 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 build number 20A5339d, replacing the fourth build, 20A5328h.

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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 fourth beta of iOS 16 included changes ranging from reducing the unsend-message time to just two minutes, displaying a log of changes for edited Messages communications, Lock Screen refinements, to new wallpapers and an ActivityKit API.

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.