iOS 18 Developer Beta 7, Public Beta 5 Released, Could Be Final Update Ahead of September Debut

iOS 18 Developer Beta 7 update has been rolled out by Apple for iPhone users with registered accounts. It carries over similar features introduced by the prior updates, system performance improvements, and bug fixes. Apple has also seeded the iOS 18 Public Beta 5 to iPhone users. According to a report, the iOS 18 Developer Beta 7 might be the “final” update before the operating system (OS) is released publicly later this year, possibly around the same time as the iPhone 16 launch.

iOS 18 Update

iOS 18 Developer Beta 7 update comes with the build number 22A5346a. According to Apple's release notes, it does not bring any significant new features but focuses more on making the iPhone run smoother. The update adds a fix for an issue that made the iPhone unable to play newly added background sounds. It also resolves the occasional disappearance of Music Haptics in Accessibility Settings.

In the past, Apple has released up to eight developer beta updates but that might not be the case with iOS 18. Meanwhile, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said in a X post, that he believes the iOS 18 Developer Beta 7 is the “final” seed and it may be feature-complete. That likely hints at no other future beta updates for the iOS 18 OS that was originally showcased at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2024 in June.

Even if they arrive, Gurman suggested that no new feature is expected to be included in iOS 18 other than the ones tied to the introduction of new hardware, possibly the iPhone 16 which is expected to be released in September. However, this update has not been declared a release candidate (RC) by Apple, suggesting that another beta update may be on the cards alongside the launch of the latest iPhone models.

Other Updates

Along with iOS 18 Developer Beta 7, the seventh developer beta updates for iPadOS 18, watchOS 11, visionOS 2, tvOS 18, and macOS Sequoia have also been seeded. Furthermore, the iOS 18 Public Beta 5 update for iPhone has also been released alongside updates for other Apple devices such as the iPad, Apple Watch, Mac, and more.