Apple Releases iOS 16.1 Beta 2; See What's New

A Apple publicly launched the iOS 16for eligible older iPhones and the new models in the iPhone 14 family, and has now begun working on the next smaller version. Behold, the iOS 16.1 Beta 2 It is now available to registered developers worldwide. You can check out the Apple's Official Release Notes — which highlights some of the known bugs and fixes.

iOS 16.1 does not yet include the Freeform app. For those who aren't familiar with it, Apple announced it in June, and it may be released later this year. It's an unlimited whiteboard with collaboration support. It supports text, doodles, media, and file uploads, among other features.

• Beta 2 introduces the ability to subscribe to Fitness Plus without needing an Apple Watch. The company announced that this change would take place during its Far Out event;
• Beta 2 introduces a new Game Center home screen when you visit the Game Center section for the first time in the Settings app;
• Restores the current battery percentage to the lock screen when you plug in your iPhone;

New in iOS 16.1 Beta 2: The Lock Screen can once again display the battery percentage while charging.
It works much the same way as on iOS 15, where the date disappears and the battery percentage is displayed for a few seconds. pic.twitter.com/VPs1HoqIBs

— iSpeedtestOS (@iSpeedtestOS) September 20, 2022

• The original iOS 16 battery percentage icon in the status bar used to display the same visual level—regardless of the actual battery percentage—as long as it was above 20%. iOS 16.1 beta 2 now includes updated visuals to reflect the actual battery level/percentage.

Improvement in iOS 16.1 beta 2: Now, when you (the logo) decreases; as you can see here, it’s not filled in, unlike in iOS 16.0 and the first beta of 16.1, where it was filled in even at 30%, for example lol pic.twitter.com/UDklIeAO2i

— Lucas  (@biertester) September 20, 2022

What's new in iOS 16.1 Beta 1?

• Beta 1 adds support for Apple's Live Activities feature. Live Activities are similar to persistent notifications on the Android operating system. Therefore, if an event is in progress in a particular app, the relevant information will appear on the lock screen. They also support animations that are continuously updated to ensure you stay up to date on what’s happening;
• It allows users to quickly change their home screen wallpaper—without having to go through the lock screen first. It’s certainly a very welcome addition that saves users some time;
• It includes a section dedicated to accessories that support the Matter smart home standard;
• Clean energy charging is available in the U.S. and is designed to reduce your carbon footprint by charging your iPhone during specific times. These times depend on when your power grid is using cleaner energy sources;
• It allows users with iPhones that have Face ID to display the battery percentage in the status bar. However, for some reason, this excluded the iPhone XR, 11, 12 Mini, and 13 Mini. The original implementation likely required extra display space—considering that the feature was unavailable only on iPhones with smaller screens. iOS 16.1 beta 1 finally expands support to include these smaller iPhones as well;
• It allows you to delete the built-in Apple Wallet app. If you change your mind, you can always download it again from the App Store;
• The Music app in iOS 16.1 beta 1 includes an icon for the connected audio device on the Now Playing screen. Prior to this build, it used to display the generic AirPlay icon.

Source: XDA