Apple just released another iOS 18 beta, and it could be an important one

There are only a few more weeks left until Apple is expected to reveal the iPhone 16 lineup and the public release of iOS 18. Apple has just released the seventh developer beta for iOS 18, and according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, it could be the last beta before the big launch next month.

The latest iOS 18 developer beta has the build number 22A5346a. It’s unclear exactly what is new with the build, as it just rolled out. The previous iOS 18 beta 6 had some changes, like a new Control Center toggle, significant tweaks to the Photos app, Dark Mode and tinting improvements, and more.

Historically, Apple has had around eight beta versions before the final release, but this may change this year. After the rollout of the latest beta, Gurman posted on X (formerly Twitter) that this would be final, besides new features tied to the iPhone 16 hardware.

This post is a bit ambiguous, as one can interpret it two ways: either this is the final beta before the iPhone 16 debuts, or no new features will be coming to future betas before the iPhone 16 event.

In previous years, Apple dropped the release candidate (RC) version of iOS on the day of the iPhone event. Typically, the release candidate version includes features specific to new hardware — in this case, the iPhone 16.

The reason for the uncertainty this time is because we still don’t have a date for the iPhone 16 event. According to rumors, it seems very possible it will occur on September 10, but there is also the slim chance it could be a week earlier, on September 4.

If the event happens in the first week of September, then today’s developer beta being the “final” version makes more sense. If the event happens on September 10, we might see one more beta, but it’s unlikely to have new features.

Regardless, Apple’s iPhone 16 event will be very soon, so stay tuned.