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Release record

iOS 16.1

Full article
Public release
Recorded milestones
7
Beta cycle
40d
Average interval
7d
Public release
Oct 24, 2022

Release notes

Overview

Editorial synthesis with inline references and a source ledger when citations are available.

iOS 16.1 delivered several features announced for the iOS 16 cycle but not present in 16.0. It introduced iCloud Shared Photo Library, third-party Live Activities, Apple Fitness+ access without an Apple Watch, and secure sharing for supported Wallet keys.[1]

The update also added Matter support and Clean Energy Charging, while correcting problems in Messages, Dynamic Island reachability, and CarPlay connections through VPN apps. Availability still depended on device, service, and region.[2]

Source ledger

References

Sources are linked to the claims they support. Publication and access dates are shown when available.

  1. About iOS 16 Updates

    Apple Support · 2026-07-29 · iOS 16.1 — iCloud Shared Photo Library, Live Activities, Fitness+, and Wallet

    Back to text ↑
  2. About iOS 16 Updates

    Apple Support · 2026-07-29 · iOS 16.1 — Home, Clean Energy Charging, and fixes

    Back to text ↑
  3. About iOS 16 Updates

    Apple Support · 2026-07-29 · iOS 16.1

Documented & observed

Changes in this version

Source-linked features, fixes, known issues, removals, and community-observed behavior recorded across this version’s appearances and verified builds.

Release changes

Changed in this release

Features, fixes, removals, and regressions first observed in this release record.

compatibility · introduced

Matter smart-home support

documentedconfirmed

The Home platform added support for Matter-compatible smart-home accessories.

Recorded at Public

  1. [1] About iOS 16 Updates · iOS 16.1 — Home

feature · introduced

Clean Energy Charging

documentedconfirmed

Clean Energy Charging added an optional charging strategy intended to reduce carbon impact when local conditions support it.

Recorded at Public

  1. [1] About iOS 16 Updates · iOS 16.1 — Clean Energy Charging

feature · introduced

iCloud Shared Photo Library

documentedconfirmed

iOS 16.1 introduced a separate shared library with contribution rules, library filters, shared editing, and camera integration.

Recorded at Public

  1. [1] About iOS 16 Updates · iOS 16.1 — iCloud Shared Photo Library

feature · introduced

Third-party Live Activities

documentedconfirmed

Live Activities from third-party apps became available on the Lock Screen and, on supported models, in Dynamic Island.

Recorded at Public

  1. [1] About iOS 16 Updates · iOS 16.1 — Live Activities

feature · introduced

Fitness+ without Apple Watch

documentedconfirmed

Apple Fitness+ became available to iPhone users who did not own an Apple Watch.

Recorded at Public

  1. [1] About iOS 16 Updates · iOS 16.1 — Fitness+

Milestones

Release history

Every recorded channel appearance in chronological order. Open an appearance for any available build, scope, notes, and sources.

  2. +6 days
  3. +7 days
  4. +7 days
  5. +7 days
  6. +7 days
  7. +6 days

    Public release

    Public

    Source-linked recordEditorially verified

    iOS 16.1 completed several deferred parts of the iOS 16 feature set, including shared photo libraries, Live Activities, Matter, and Clean Energy Charging.

    Availability
    available
    Sources
    6 linked
    Open this appearance

Historical context

Cycle comparison

Pace, intervals, and duration compared with earlier releases on the same platform.

Historical avg for .1 releases

48 days, 5.1 milestones

Based on 20 previous iOS .1 releases

Cycle vs. platform average

40d (avg: 58d)

18 days shorter than the iOS average

Duration ranking

#65 of 92

Middle of the pack iOS beta cycles

Previous .1 releases (iOS)

Previous comparable iOS releases
VersionYearCycleMilestonesAvg. Interval
iOS 26.1202542d68d
iOS 18.1202491d1010d
iOS 17.1202328d75d
iOS 15.1202134d67d
iOS 14.12020—27d
iOS 13.1201928d57d

Scroll horizontally to compare every historical field.

Official release notes