WWDC 2022: iOS 16 beta versions may include references to Apple’s mixed reality headset

Apple’s next Worldwide Developers Conference, or WWDC, is still a few months away. But tech fans already know to expect that its kick-off event will highlight the announcement of iOS 16. Now, a new report says the upcoming software update might also offer more information on the widely rumored mixed reality headset from the iPhone maker.

The annual updates to iOS, watchOS, macOS, and tvOS have been the stars of the WWDC keynote address every year. But aside from the new features and updates planned for the iOS 16, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported in the latest edition of his Power On newsletter that the upcoming OS version might contain some details about the Apple AR/VR headset.

Gurman’s sources suggest that beta versions of the iOS 16, which is reportedly codenamed Sydney, will be “chock-full of references” about the Apple mixed reality headset. It is unlikely to reveal the entirety of the elusive product, but it should be enough to confirm that the headset exists in the pipeline and could be released in the near future.

Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said last year that the Apple mixed reality headset could be released by mid-2022. However, Gurman reported last January that the device could be delayed to 2023 due to development woes. But the rumored references that could be in the iOS 16 beta versions seem to corroborate these reported release windows.

Gurman does not expect the headset to be announced at WWDC. But he noted that having the references to the headset in the iOS 16 beta may be an indication that it could be released within the iOS 16 generation. Beta versions of the iOS 16 could be released as early as June, which marks the beginning of its cycle that will span through fall 2023 before the release of iOS 17.

It would not be the first time that an upcoming Apple hardware product is leaked through the iOS. In 2017, references to the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X were discovered in a beta version of iOS 11 just a few days before Apple’s fall product launch event that year. The same thing happened in August 2018, when an iOS 12 beta version revealed an icon that added weight to the then-rumored “iPhone X Plus.” Then, Apple announced the 6.5-inch iPhone XS Max the following month.

The WWDC 2022 will be a five-day event that will kick off on Monday, June 6. The entire conference will still be conducted in an online format, but Apple announced it will invite some developers and students for a limited in-person attendance to watch the pre-recorded keynote address and State of the Union at the Apple Park.

Photo by David Grandmougin on Unsplash