The iOS 16 public beta was released on Monday, allowing any iPhone user to try out all of the new features. Even though anyone can now install the iOS 16 beta, however, doesn’t mean it’s flawless. There are still many bugs and issues to consider before updating your devices.
Back up your iPhone.
Before you even consider installing the iOS 16 public beta on your iPhone, be sure you have a recent backup of your data. You can find out the details on how to back up your iPhone and iPad right here in our full guide. Having a recent backup ensures that if you need to downgrade to iOS 15, you’ll lose as little data as possible.
Apple’s warning about the iOS 16 public beta
Apple itself has some warnings for users considering installing the iOS 16 public beta. The company says that iOS 16 “has not yet been commercially released by Apple” and may contain “errors or inaccuracies.” Therefore, Apple recommends you install it on a secondary device at first.
Please note that since the public beta software has not yet been commercially released by Apple, it may contain errors or inaccuracies and may not function as well as commercially released software. Be sure to back up your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch and your Mac using Time Machine before installing beta software. Since Apple TV purchases and data are stored in the cloud, there’s no need to back up your Apple TV. Install the beta software only on non-production devices that are not business critical. We strongly recommend installing on a secondary system or device, or on a secondary partition on your Mac.
iOS 16 public beta bugs
Apple doesn’t get into the specifics of what sort of bugs you could encounter if you install iOS 16 on your primary iPhone. You never know what bugs and performance issues to expect with a beta version of software, but there are a handful of relatively common problems: worse battery life than usual, operating system crashes, home screen crashes, iCloud syncing issues, and more.
It’s also important to remember that changes and improvements aren’t necessarily linear between subsequent iOS 16 beta releases. For instance, something that works perfectly in today’s iOS 16 beta 3 release could be broken when the next build is released in two weeks.
I’ve been running iOS 16 since the first beta was released last week, and there are a number of bugs I’ve noticed. This includes random Lock Screen crashes, iMessages not syncing between devices, the touch screen freezing and becoming unusable, and more.
Another common problem is compatibility with third-party applications. One of the biggest reasons Apple releases betas of its upcoming operating systems is to give developers the ability to test their apps with the new updates.
When you install a beta on your devices, remember that developers have not optimized their applications for the new features, and some apps might not work at all. Developers have until this fall when iOS 16 is released in stable form to update their apps, and they are under no obligation to do so sooner.
Should you install the iOS 16 public beta?
Ultimately, it’s up to you to decide whether or not the risk is worth the reward. The iOS 16 public beta brings a ton of fun new features, including a customizable Lock Screen, new Messages features, and more.
Learn more about what’s new in iOS 16:
- iOS 16: Hands-on with over 100 new features for iPhone users [Video]
- These are the five best features of iOS 16
- Hands-on with the best new features in iOS 16 [Video]
- Apple debuts iOS 16 with customizable lock screen, Messages updates, more
If you do install the iOS 16 public beta, be prepared for bugs and quirks. But with that being said, this year’s beta is pretty stable compared to previous years of iOS public betas. You’ll have some bugs, but with the exception of incompatibility with third-party apps, none of them are likely to impact your day-to-day use.
If you’ve assessed the risk and thought through the possible bugs and would like to install iOS 16 on your iPhone, check out our full guide right here.
Author: Chance Miller
Source: 9TO5Google
