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Apple wasted no time and released the first beta of iOS 16.2 and iPadOS 16.2 to developers just days after the public launch of iOS 16.1 and iPadOS 16.1.
Looking at the official release notes (opens in new tab), we see that with the beta, people can finally get their hands on the Freeform app for iPad, which was first unveiled in June 2022 at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). It is a digital canvas that allows users to collaborate on projects with other people. Stage Manager sees the return of support for external displays, but only for M1 and M2 iPads, as Apple continues to figure out what to do with the desktop management app.
What’s coming to iOS 16.2 is still technically unknown, but people on the web have spilled the beans. An addition is a new notification accidentally discovered for the Emergency SOS feature by a Twitter user (opens in new tab), which can be useful when someone accidentally activates the emergency response tool. When you activate Emergency SOS, your iPhone will ask if you did this on purpose. It seems that Apple is trying to collect some data about the tool for a possible update.
iPadOS 16.2 changes
When it comes to the Freeform app, it is unknown how fully fleshed out the app, but looking at online reports (opens in new tab), it seems almost ready. All functions shown on the first announcement of June (opens in new tab) seem to be there, including the ability to add sticky notes for scheduling, support for the Apple Pencil, and the various drawing tools. But it’s not ready for release yet as there are still some glitches to be ironed out.
Apple mentions that it found that Freeform boards cannot be deleted when the device is offline and sometimes iCloud data is turned off randomly for the app. It’s working on a fix for this, but in the meantime, the company recommends going into the iPad’s settings as a workaround and adding an iCloud permission for Freeform.
Stage Manager can now display up to eight different apps on an external screen thanks to the aforementioned display support. The feature has struggled since its launch on iPadOS 16 because stuck with bugs and a rather confusing user interface (opens in new tab). While issues are being addressed, Apple had added one more to the list. The release notes mention an issue in Stage Manager where “dragging a second window into the workspace” hides the list of recent apps, making everything appear on the far right side of the screen.
Coming to iOS 16
According to reports, iOS 16.2 will see the “architecture” of the Home app restructured to provide better performance for smart home devices.
On devices with ProMotion screens (such as the iPhone 14 line), the SwiftUI will be modified to support a 120Hz refresh rate in the “animated layout changes”. And tucked away in the code, 9to5Mac has discovered a new version of Live Activities (opens in new tab) that “will provide more frequent updates”, but it is currently inactive.
We contacted Apple to ask about the beta, which is the Home app, and asked if the performance improvement for the Home app is related in any way to the Matter standard launched in early October. We also asked when 16.2 will be made available to the public. At the moment the beta is part of the Apple Developer Program (opens in new tab) which you need to register for if you want access. This story will be updated if we hear anything.
If you want to learn more about Apple’s latest offerings, be sure to check it out our guide to the five features worth checking out on iPadOS 16.1.