iOS 16 release date: Apple announces launch of iPhone update and new Apple Watch and Mac software

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Apple has set the rough release date of its upcoming iPhone update and other new software.

The iOS 16, MacOS Ventura, WatchOS 9 and iPadOS 16 updates were revealed during Apple’s WWDC event, broadcast from its California campus.

Many of the updates focus on personalisation, as well as tweaks to the look and feel of new software.

Now Apple has said that the new updates will be coming in a developer beta later today. That software will only be available to registered developers – and even they are advised not to install it onto their primary device, in case of any bugs or other issues.

They will all then be available as a public beta from July. While those same concerns about bugs remain, Apple usually introduces a slightly more reliable and tested version of the software to the public, reducing the chance of disastrous bugs.

The new software will then come to all users in the “fall”, Apple said.

iOS 16 is usually released in the days before the launch of the new iPhone. That generally happens at the beginning of September – though concerns over the ongoing pandemic have led to suggestions that it could be delayed.

The Watch and iPad updates usually arrive at the same time. The Mac updates often take slightly longer, with release dates that have extended into October.