Apple's iOS 16.6 and iPadOS 16.6 updates -- the still-piping-hot latest version of iOS 16, just pulled from the oven -- are working their way through the beta program ahead of a release to the public. Now, developers can take the second betas for a spin as Apple readies a feature that it first teased back in December of 2022.
That feature is iMessage Contact Key Verification, and it's designed to make iMessage even safer for people to use. Especially those who could be targeted by "extraordinary digital threats," says Apple.
The iOS 16.6 and iPadOS 16.6 updates don't yet have fully functioning versions of iMessage Contact Key Verification, but that could change before the final versions are pushed to the public.
Extraordinary digital threats
As far as new features there doesn't appear to be an awful lot going on inside iOS 16.6 and iPadOS 16.6 right now, but Apple is already getting its ducks in a row for when the updates are made public.
The feature that has already been noticed, iMessage Contact Key Verification, is designed to give people a way to confirm that the person they're talking to via iMessage is actually who they say they are.
"Now with iMessage Contact Key Verification, users who face extraordinary digital threats — such as journalists, human rights activists, and members of government — can choose to further verify that they are messaging only with the people they intend," Apple said last year. "Conversations between users who have enabled iMessage Contact Key Verification receive automatic alerts if an exceptionally advanced adversary, such as a state-sponsored attacker, were ever to succeed breaching cloud servers and inserting their own device to eavesdrop on these encrypted communications." Apple goes on to say that "for even higher security, iMessage Contact Key Verification users can compare a Contact Verification Code in person, on FaceTime, or through another secure call."
We can all agree that the best iPhone is a secure iPhone so features like this are welcome. As for the betas, registered developers can download them now with public beta versions likely to be made available within the next day or so.
