Apple today distributed the first beta of the upcoming iPadOS 16.1 update to developers for testing purposes. The software is available alongside the standard seventh beta of iOS 16, which was made available today.
Registered developers can download the iPadOS 16 profile from the Apple Developer Center. The beta will be available over the air after installation as always. Apple has decided to delay the launch of iPadOS 16 to fix bugs and other issues with the Stage Manager feature that is being introduced for the M1 iPad models. In a Explanation Apple told TechCrunch that there will be no iPadOS 16.0 version at launch. Instead, the company plans to ship iPadOS 16.1 after the launch of iOS 16.
This is a particularly big year for iPadOS. As a separate platform with features designed specifically for iPad, we have the flexibility to ship iPadOS on our own schedule. This fall, iPadOS will ship after iOS as version 16.1 in a free software update.
iPadOS 16.1 will be released after the launch of iOS 16
According to TechCrunch, iPadOS 16.1 introduces new features for the Stage Manager.
The most important new feature is the ability to resurface the Stage Manager sidebar with a gesture while the feature is in full screen mode. The other updates in 16.1 are the usual beta bug updates.
Apple rarely separates the release of iOS and iPadOS. But in this case, it decided to do so because the latest version of iPadOS is still riddled with bugs and there are a number of complaints about the Stage Manager multitasking option. (Image: Apple)
