Gurman: Apple Finished iOS 16 Development Last Week Ahead of iPhone 14 Event Planned for September 7

Apple engineers wrapped up development of the initial version of iOS 16 last week, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. This likely means that Apple has few to no major new features or changes planned for the remaining iOS 16 betas and will instead focus on bug fixes in the final weeks before the software update is publicly released.

iOS 16 Lock Screen Customize
In the latest edition of his "Power On" newsletter, Gurman reiterated that iOS 16 and watchOS 9 are planned for release in September alongside new iPhone 14 and Apple Watch Series 8 models, while he expects iPadOS 16 and macOS Ventura to be released in October.

Here's the exact quote from Gurman's newsletter:

The iOS 16.0 update, which Apple engineers finished work on this past week, is due to launch in September alongside watchOS 9. Those updates will correspond with the new hardware. The macOS Ventura and iPadOS upgrades, on the other hand, are now scheduled for October (after Stage Manager-related delays to the iPad software) to match the new hardware lineup.

iOS 16's major new features include a customizable Lock Screen with widgets, the ability to temporarily edit or unsend an iMessage, iCloud Shared Photo Library for sharing photos with family and friends, a revamped Home app, and more. Apple also reintroduced a battery percentage icon in the status bar on most iPhones with a notch.

Gurman recently reported that Apple is planning to hold an event on Wednesday, September 7 to unveil new iPhone 14 and Apple Watch Series 8 models. Apple would likely also announce release dates for iOS 16 and watchOS 9 at the event, which Apple has yet to officially confirm. Gurman believes Apple is likely to hold another event in October focused on new Macs and iPads, including updated iPad Pro models with the M2 chip.

Related Forum: iOS 16

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro 34ths Perspective

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 10 New Features

Sunday March 23, 2025 10:00 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of March 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
Generic iOS 18

iOS 18.4 Coming Soon With These New Features for Your iPhone

Tuesday March 25, 2025 6:45 am PDT by
Apple is expected to release iOS 18.4 to the general public as soon as next week, following more than a month of beta testing. Apple's website says some iOS 18.4 features will be released in "early April," so the update should be out as early as Tuesday, April 1. Apple this week seeded the iOS 18.4 Release Candidate, which is typically the final beta version, barring the discovery of any...
ios 19 messages app

Here's What Apple's iOS 19 Messages App Might Look Like

Tuesday March 25, 2025 11:52 am PDT by
Leaker Jon Prosser today shared a mockup of what he says the Messages app will look like in iOS 19, demoing an interface with rounded, translucent bubble-shaped navigation buttons at the top and softer, rounder corners for the keyboard and word suggestions. Jon Prosser's Messages app mockup The return button, a button for going back to the Messages list, and the FaceTime button have a deeper...
iCloud General Feature Redux

iPhone Users Who Pay for iCloud Storage Receive a New Perk

Thursday March 20, 2025 12:01 am PDT by
If you pay for iCloud storage on your iPhone, Apple has a new perk for you, at no additional cost. The new perk is the ability to create invitations in the Apple Invites app for the iPhone, which launched in the App Store last month. In the Apple Invites app, iCloud+ subscribers can create invitations for any occasion, such as birthday parties, graduations, baby showers, and more. Anyone ...
macbook pro blue green

When Will Apple Release the M5 MacBook Pro?

Wednesday March 26, 2025 4:53 pm PDT by
Apple regularly refreshes the MacBook Pro models, and a new version that uses M5 series chips is in the works. Apple just finished refreshing most of the Mac lineup with M4 chips, and now it's time for the M5. Rumors suggest that we could see the first M5 MacBook Pro models this fall. Design There have been no rumors of a design update for the M5 MacBook Pro models that are coming this...
airpods max 2024 colors

Don't Buy Into Apple's Hype About AirPods Max Gaining Lossless Audio

Monday March 24, 2025 4:24 pm PDT by
Apple today announced that AirPods Max with a USB-C port will be gaining support for lossless audio and ultra-low latency audio with a firmware update next month, alongside the release of iOS 18.4, iPadOS 18.4, and macOS 15.4. For context, audio files are typically compressed to keep file sizes smaller. There are lossy compression standards like MP3 and AAC (Advanced Audio Codec), which...
Apple Lumon Terminal Pro

Apple's Mac Site Features Fictional 'Lumon Terminal Pro'

Wednesday March 26, 2025 12:19 pm PDT by
Apple is going all out with promotions for the popular Severance Apple TV+ show today, and as of right now, you'll find a new "Lumon Terminal Pro" listed on Apple's Mac site. The Lumon Terminal Pro is designed to look similar to the machines that Severance employees like Mark S. and Helly R. use for macrodata refinement. The Terminal features a blue keyboard, a small display with wide...
Generic iOS 19 Feature Mock

Gurman: Jon Prosser's iOS 19 Mockups 'Aren't Representative' of Redesign

Tuesday March 25, 2025 4:47 pm PDT by
The iOS 19 mockup images that leaker Jon Prosser shared today are not representative of the actual iOS 19 design, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said on social media. According to Gurman, the images that are "floating around" are based on "very old builds" or "vague descriptions," and are lacking key features. Gurman says that we can "expect more from Apple in June." Gurman made the same comment ...

Top Rated Comments

azentropy Avatar
34 months ago
More like they finished the version that will go on the new iPhones initially.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheYayAreaLiving ?️ Avatar
34 months ago

Noob question : what’s the point in releasing betas if it is finished anyway ? ?
To make sure the software is stable and reliable for the general public. Apple also takes the feedback very seriously.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheYayAreaLiving ?️ Avatar
34 months ago
Makes sense since the last beta was very small and incremental.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
PsykX Avatar
34 months ago
A bit surprised...

What about Xcode ?

They didn't even release a new beta this week and I can't test my apps on my iPhone this week, because iOS 16 has a more recent build than Xcode. This is annoying.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Cobold Avatar
34 months ago

Which is the build we get as the public release. Anything else is 16.0.1 shortly after.
Not necessarily. Last year, the first iPhone 13-series iPhones were preinstalled with iOS 15.0 build 19A341 and 19A345.
The build we got as the public release was 19A346.

You had to update your brand new iPhone 13 to the "final" build as an update labeled as "iOS 15.0", just increasing the build number bot not version number (still 15.0).

iOS 15.0.1 was build 19A348, whitch came out in October.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Premium1 Avatar
34 months ago

Noob question : what’s the point in releasing betas if it is finished anyway ? ?
Even it being "finished" there are bugs they want to work out, plus the added features that will come later on. Also the "finished" version is just what they load onto the new iphones, it doesn't mean they are done working on it.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)