Apple has released the first public betas of iOS 17.6 and iPadOS 17.6 today, just a few days after the initial developer betas were made available.
Public beta testers can install the beta by opening the Settings app, navigating to the Software Update section, selecting “Beta Updates,” and enabling the iOS 17 or iPadOS 17 Public Beta. Registration on Apple’s beta testing website is required.
Since all promised additions for iOS 17 have been implemented, it is unclear what iOS 17.6 will include, as no new features were found in the developer beta.
With Apple’s focus shifting to iOS 18, iOS 17.6 will likely contain bug fixes and performance improvements.
Apple has also released the first public betas for watchOS 10.6 and tvOS 17.6.