Today, Apple released iOS 16.2 beta 1 to developers. While the update has a lot of bug fixes and new features, the one that everyone is keen on trying out is the Freeform app. Freeform is a brand-new product from Apple that was announced during WWDC22. It is a productivity app with collaborative support that mimics a digital whiteboard. You can doodle, add text, pictures, web links, video, audio, and more. Best of all, the app is available across multiple platforms, including iOS 16.2 beta 1, iPadOS 16.2 beta 1, and macOS 13.1 beta 1.

With Freeform, the possibilities are endless, giving users the ability to sketch out ideas, brainstorm, create a family tree or as Apple suggests, make a mood board. While you can create projects independently, the real power of Freeform gets unlocked when working with a group. Since the space is built for collaboration, every aspect of the app works seamlessly between users. You can add music, links to websites, images, movies, and so much more. You can even doodle if you have an Apple Pencil. What makes it fun and exciting is that this is all done in real time. Anyone can join in as long as they have an iPhone, iPad, or computer with macOS. As of now, since the Freeform app comes as part of the beta, you can expect there to be some issues.

Currently, Apple has two issues listed as part of the iOS and iPadOS 16.2 release notes. The first issue being that you cannot delete any boards while offline or if iCloud data is disabled for the app. The second issue is that adding and removing collaborators isn't quite as smooth as it should be, with the action appearing to fail if share permissions are changed. Apple does present a workaround for the first issue, where users can go into the Settings menu, then go to Apple ID, navigate to iCloud, and enable Freeform in this menu. Unfortunately, this issue still seemingly persists when you are offline, meaning at this point, there doesn't look to be a way to delete a board if you're not connected to the internet.

If this really is the case, hopefully Apple will be able to issue the fix in its next beta update. If you're interested in trying it out right now, you will need to be either enrolled in the developer program to download the beta update, or you can wait for the public beta, which will likely arrive within 24 hours. Otherwise, you will need to wait for a stable public release, which is slated to arrive sometime before the end of the year.