iOS 18 Beta 7 Available Now, Could Be Final Beta?

iOS 18 beta 7 and iPadOS 18 beta 7 are now available to users in the developer beta testing programs for iOS and iPadOS. Matching the 7th developer betas are the 5th public betas, which are available as well.

And iOS 18 beta 7 might be the final beta version, other than features that are tied to new hardware (presumably the iPhone 16 series, which are expected to launch in September), according to the worlds best Apple reporter, Mark Gurman on X/Twitter.

Any user can enroll to participate in the beta testing programs for iPhone and iPad, which then allows them to install iOS 18 beta on iPhone or install iPadOS 18 beta on iPad, if they’re interested in doing so. The same applies to public beta versions.

There are also new beta builds available for macOS Sonoma 15 beta 7, watchOS 11 beta 7, tvOS 18 beta 7, and visionOS 2 beta 7.

How to Download & Install iOS 18 Beta 7 and iPadOS 18 Beta 7

Always backup to iCloud and/or a computer before starting any system software update:

1. Open the “Settings” app on iPhone or iPad
2. Go to “General”, and then go to “Software Update”
3. Choose to “Update Now” to download and install iOS 18 beta 7 or iPadOS 18 beta 7 on that device

Installing the update will require a restart as usual.

iOS 18 for iPhone and iPadOS 18 for iPad bring some interesting new features and customization options to iPhone and iPad, including new dark mode icons, dark mode widgets, color tinting of icons and widgets on the Home Screen, ability to customize Control Center and expand to multiple Control Center bags just in case you want 40000 pages of toggles to swipe through for some reason, a dedicated Passwords app, a perplexing redesign of the Photos app, a Calculator app for iPad, various small new features in Notes and Safari, a new Distraction Control feature in Safari that lets you block out obnoxious page content on webpages, new Apple Intelligence AI features throughout the operating system and apps (technically the AI features are coming in iOS 18.1 and iPadOS 18.1 however), and more.

Stepping away from the beta cycles, the most recent stable final versions of system software are currently iOS 17.6.1 and iPadOS 17.6.1, MacOS Sonoma 14.6.1, watchOS 10.6.1, and tvOS 17.6.1.

The final version of iOS 18 for iPhone and iPadOS 18 for iPad will be released this fall, according to Apple.

As mentioned earlier, ace Apple reporter Mark Gurman has heard the latest 7th betas are expected to be the final versions of iOS 18, though it’s always possible that new builds will come out to address any bugs, security issues, or other enhancements and tweaks that Apple deems necessary.

The latest iOS 18 seed, I’m told, is final other than features tied to the new hardware. https://t.co/qxP07C8Jhl

— Mark Gurman (@markgurman) August 20, 2024