I am a super geek. one of those people who are always installing something new on their devices, just to test them out. While some people fear having to learn a new operating system, I am that guy who has three operating systems on his Mac. So when the iOS 16 Beta was made available for download I was excited. I really wanted to get my hands on this new OS. but I know better.
Beta is meant to be buggy
One of the main reasons to put out a beta version of an operating system is to find as many bugs before letting the general public start to download it. Developers are all trained on how to properly troubleshoot, isolate, and report bugs. Where the general public will just complain and assume that it is broken and will stay that way.
iOS 16 Beta is not on my work iPhone
I have full faith in Apple and the developers to find any issues with the iOS 16 Beta before the public release. however, this does not mean that I’m going to be downloading it on my main iPhone.
I only have my iPhone Xs that could run the current iOS 16 Beta. While this seems like my idea of fun (Did I mention the super geek?) I think it would be a bad business decision to install it. After all, my entire business requires that I use that phone. If I had a spare phone I would be downloading it right now … but I don’t.
Should you download iOS 16 as soon as it is public?
For me yes! Mostly because I need to be able to teach others how to use all the features. For me, it is a calculated risk that I’m willing to take for my business and the benefits far outweigh any bugs I may find.
For personal just do it!
For personal use, most of the bugs will be discovered before it is made available. There is very little risk. I think iOS 16 is going to be a great version that will make using an iPhone much easier. You may not even notice a bug if there is one.
For businesses to wait a month
The nature of running a business is that every phone call and app is mission-critical. So a bug that may cause trouble could result in a lot of productivity problems.
I always tell my business service contract clients to wait 30 days before downloading just in case. While the chances of a major bug in the public release that will result in the loss of money is rare. Better be safe than sorry.
Will iOS 16 run on my device?
While you do not need the latest version of the iPhone to run iOS 16 you will need one of the listed devices. Apple is rather good at making sure that the iOS will run on as many versions of the iPhone as possible. There are limits to the hardware that needs to be taken into consideration. Here is the list of devices Apple says will run iOS 16
- iPhone 13
- iPhone 13 mini
- iPhone 13 Pro
- iPhone 13 Pro Max
- iPhone 12
- iPhone 12 mini
- iPhone 12 Pro
- iPhone 12 Pro Max
- iPhone 11
- iPhone 11 Pro
- iPhone 11 Pro Max
- iPhone XS
- iPhone XS Max
- iPhone XR
- iPhone X
- iPhone 8
- iPhone 8 Plus
- iPhone SE (2nd generation or later)
But what about the iPhone 7, 6s and 6?
When you consider that the iPhone 7 came out in September 2016. That is not a bad run for a device to run an operating system. While the device cannot install the latest version of the operating system it will still work as a phone and many of the apps will still work.
If you really need to get a new iPhone to work with the new iOS 16 maybe you should consider getting a refurbished iPhone. This is something I am thinking about carrying in the future.