iOS 17.6 public beta 1 now available, plus macOS 14.6, iPadOS 17.6 and more

Following the release earlier this week of the first developer betas for iOS 17.6, macOS 14.6, iPadOS 17.6, and more, today Apple has released the first public betas of the same updates. They are available for download on your devices via the Software Updates screen under the Beta Updates section.

Public beta for iOS 17.6, but not yet iOS 18

iOS 17.6 is the next big update for iOS 17, and possibly its final update before iOS 18’s fall launch.

Although the first developer beta of iOS 18 launched last week, before 17.6, it is unsurprising to see the public beta of 17.6 debut first. iOS 18’s public beta isn’t expected until some time in July, likely early in the month.

For anyone who wants to run the latest iOS beta but without risking some of the stability issues that iOS 18 might introduce, iOS 17.6 is a safer option.

Currently, the only known new feature of iOS 17.6 is the ‘Catch Up’ feature in the TV app, which is designed for sports viewers.

Last month saw the public launch of iOS 17.5, which introduced new Pride wallpapers, the Quartiles game for News+ subscribers, offline Apple News content, and some other changes such as app web distribution in the EU.

Let us know if you find any new features in iOS 17.6, and we will update this post accordingly.

Have you installed iOS 17.6 or one of the other new betas? Let us know of any changes you might find.