Apple has started testing iOS 16.6 internally, according to our website’s analytics logs, which have proven to be a reliable indicator of upcoming software updates. iOS 16.6 will likely be one of the last updates in the iOS 16 software cycle.
It’s still too early to know when the first beta of iOS 16.6 will be released, but the first betas of iOS 13.6, iOS 14.6, and iOS 15.6 were all made available to developers prior to WWDC over the last three years. WWDC is scheduled for June 5 through June 9 this year and is where Apple will announce iOS 17 and other new software.
iOS 16.6 will likely be a smaller update given that iOS 17 is on the horizon. With the Apple Card’s savings account expected to launch next week, iMessage Contact Key Verification will be one of the only previously-announced iOS features that has yet to launch, but it is unclear exactly when the optional security setting will launch.
In the meantime, iOS 16.5 remains in beta testing. So far, only two notable changes have been discovered in the update, including the addition of a Sports tab in the Apple News app and the ability to start a screen recording with Siri.