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Apple rolls out the last iOS 18 public beta before iPhone 16 launch

The final iOS 18 public beta before the iPhone 16 launch is here, but Apple still isn’t ready to let us check out its new AI features.

Custom image for news on last iOS 18 public beta ahead of iPhone 16 launch with a screenshot from Apple reveal on left holding iPhone and the Apple logo on the other side of the screen

It seems the latest update to the iOS 18 public beta could be the last before the iPhone 16 launches. With everything pointing to the next-generation Apple smartphone arriving next month, it seems the tech giant has both its hardware and software ready to go for the big reveal.

This is all according to a new X post from the golden source for Apple news, Mark Gurman. The post reads, “The latest iOS 18 seed, I’m told, is final other than features tied to the new hardware.” This new version includes Game Mode, which could make the iPhone 16 Pro Max the best gaming iPhone yet, going above and beyond the iPhone 15 Pro Max’s AAA compatibility.

So, onto the big question, what else is new to iOS 18? There’s Math Notes, a helpful tool that allows you to write down equations with your iPhone solving them in your own handwriting, iMessage scheduling, new personalization and customization options for your home screen and Control Center; and, after a long wait, RCS messaging. Yes, we know these aren’t exactly riveting additions. Still, it seems like Apple is holding out on the more dynamic Apple Intelligence features until the full release of iOS 18, presumably around the same time as the upcoming iPhone 16 launch.

If you want to try out the iOS 18 public beta for yourself, we’ve put together a set of simple instructions on how to do just that below:

  1. Go to the Apple Beta Software Program site
  2. Select the ‘sign up’ option and sign in with your Apple ID
  3. Read the agreement and select ‘agree’
  4. On the next page, if you’re new to the beta program, select the option
  5. to ‘enroll your iOS device’
  6. Archive a backup of your phone, if necessary
  7. Scroll down to the open to ‘open beta updates’
  8. Select the ‘iOS 18 public beta option’
  9. Wait for the beta to download
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Of course, there are a couple of caveats before you go ahead and download the iOS 18 public beta. First of all, we don’t recommend doing this on your main phone, just as early iOS versions are infamously buggy, and it’s not worth sacrificing the clear day-to-day experience of iOS 17 to try out a couple of new features. Secondly, if you don’t care about the first point and you’re committed to trying out the new beta, you need to use an iPhone XS model or something newer. If you’re an SE owner, you need either the second or third generation of Apple’s mid-ranger.