Apple issues release candidates of current-gen OS updates

Apple is now on its fifth round of current-generation operating system builds, including release candidates for iOS 17.6 and iPadOS 17.6.

Developers taking part in Apple's beta program can download the new builds to an Apple Developer Centeror by updating their iPhone or iPad already running the betas via the Settings app. Public beta versions usually arrive shortly after the developer versions.

These release candidates are for the current-generation versions of Apple's operating systems, including iOS 17.6, iPadOS 17.6, watchOS 10.6, tvOS 17.6, and macOS Sonoma 14.6. They are not to be confused with the fall build testing for iOS 18 and iPadOS 18, tvOS 18, and macOS Sequoia.

This is the fifth round for this generation, which now includes release candidate builds of the operating systems. This indicates that Apple plans a full release of the builds, since they are now effectively finalized.

The fourth round of the current-gen betas arrived on July 16. The third round landed on July 9, following the second round from July 1.

The new build numbers are:

• iOS 17.6 & iPadOS RC - 21G79
• macOS 14.6 RC - 23G80
• tvOS 17.6 RC - 21M6071
• HomePod 17.6 RC - 21M71
• watchOS 10.6 RC - 21U577
• VisionOS 1.3 RC - 21O771

Apple also issued new release candidates for its older operating systems, including iOS 15.8.3, macOS Monterey 12.7.6, and macOS Ventura 13.6.8.

Due to the existence of the fall update versions, Apple is very unlikely to include any new feature updates in its current-gen updates.

AppleInsider and Apple strongly recommends users don't install test operating systems or other beta or RC software on "mission-critical" or primary devices, as there is the small chance of issues that could result in the loss of data. Testers should instead use secondary or non-essential hardware and ensure they have sufficient backups of their critical data at all times.

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