The public release of iOS 16.5, the upcoming significant software upgrade for the iPhone, is almost here. One day following iOS 16.4’s stable release, it went into beta testing, and the most recent build, known as the release candidate, is effectively the final version. If you absolutely cannot wait, you may still get on board and use all the new features ahead of time.
According to an Apple press release announcing the new Apple Watch Pride Edition Sport Band, iOS 16.5 could be released as early as May 15. The Worldwide Development Conference (WWDC) for Apple, which begins on June 5, is approaching the stable release. At the presentation, Apple will reveal iOS 17, iPadOS 17, and other developments, including the eagerly anticipated xrOS software for the mysterious Apple VR/AR headset that will be released soon.
Although iOS 16.5 does not yet have the same impact as iOS 16.4, which included over 50 new features and improvements, we anticipate that this will change when future beta updates are released. The following is a list of every feature and update that iOS 16.5 is known to include. Get the iOS 16.5 beta and test out all these upgrades if you don’t mind more bugs than normal.
1. Apple News’s brand-new Sports tab
The Apple News app now has a separate Sports option, making it considerably simpler to access the My Sports area. The My Sports group used to be hidden under the “Today” tab or could only be accessed by tapping on it from the “Following” tab.
There are “My Sports score and schedule cards… [that].. lead you directly to game pages where].. you may access additional details about specific games,” according to Apple’s iOS 16.5 release notes. Yet, they were already accessible, and on iOS 16.4, the same cards are visible to us.
2. Apple News merged Search and Following tabs
The Search tab and the Following tab in Apple News have been combined to make place for the new Sports tab, and the new icon combines both of their respective capabilities (left image below). Only with a new icon, this is similar to how it was before iOS 14.5 gave Search its own tab.
3. Apple News permanent navigation bar
The bottom navigation bar now remains visible even when you are reading an item, which is another important change to Apple News.
4. Apple News New Button Changes
Apple News’s new persistent navigation bar necessitated a change in the interface’s buttons in order to move things around. Everything that changed is listed below:
- The Suggest More and Suggest Less buttons have been consolidated into a single Suggest More or Less button and moved to the top bar. To like or disapprove something, you now have to hit the new button and select “Recommend More” or “Suggest Less” from the menu.
- The Suggest More or Less button has been changed to match the bookmark, back, and More Actions iconography. The visuals have shrunk and a dark circle has appeared around them.
- The More Actions menu now contains the Text Size option. You now need to hit the More Actions option and then select to either enlarge or reduce the font size in order to adjust the text size of a publication.
- You can no longer switch between articles using the Previous and Next arrows at the bottom because they have been completely deleted. Instead, swipe movements are now your only option.
5. Using Siri to record screens
In iOS 16.5 Apple has added a new talent to Siri. By giving any of the following commands to Hey Siri or by using the Siri long-press shortcut, you can now start and stop screen recordings. Similar instructions might also function.
- “[Start/Stop] a screen recording”
- “[Start/Stop] recording my screen”
- “[Start/Stop] screen record”
- “[Begin/End] screen recording”
- “Screen record”
6. New Pride Background
Apple has included a matching watch face for Apple Watch as well as a new pride wallpaper for the iPhone to go along with the new Apple Watch Pride Edition Sport Band, which will cost $49 and be available for preorder on May 23 and in stores on May 24.
The new Pride Celebration watch face and iOS wallpaper celebrate the community’s solidarity and interdependence. When a user raises and moves their wrist or taps the watch display, colorful shapes appear to move into the display from the band. When the user unlocks their iPhone, the corresponding wallpaper, another colorful rendition of this year’s Pride design, rotates in real time.
Along with the 2023 wallpaper, Apple has moved the original pride flag wallpaper to a new Pride section in the Add New Wallpaper menu. The LGBTQ+ community’s pride flag wallpaper used to be shown in the Collections section and occasionally in the Featured section.
7. Home Admins Can Match Matter Accessories With Shared Admins
In iOS 16.5 people can pair and add new Matter accessories if you have another admin for your smart home in the Home app.
8. Apple Watch Beta Software Upgrades that are Easier to Use
On iOS 16.4, Apple made developer and public beta upgrades simpler by moving them entirely to the Software Update menu. You will see those options in the new “Beta Updates” area as long as you are logged in with the same Apple account that is a participant in a beta program.
The Apple Watch app follows suit on iOS 16.5 by streamlining watchOS beta installation. At My Watch -> General -> Software Update, you’ll notice a brand-new “Beta Updates” menu. By tapping it, you can choose to only install stable updates or turn off the beta program for software updates.
Similar to iOS upgrades, switching to the Apple ID linked to your beta program won’t have an impact on other aspects of the device.
9. Tap to Pay Sounds That Are Always On
With iOS 16.5 comes a new capability for Tap to Pay, which enables you to accept payments on your iPhone from other mobile devices or payment cards with contactless technology.
The “Tap to Pay Screen Lock” switch, which is now called “Tap to Pay on iPhone Screen Lock,” should be moved to a new Tap to Pay on iPhone section in the settings for a supported Tap to Pay app, such as Stripe. What’s more, there is a brand-new “Always Play Sounds”switch that enables successful Tap to Pay transactions to play sounds even when your iPhone is in Quiet mode.
- Always Play Sounds: Regardless of your current Ring / Quiet Mode switch configuration, play the Tap to Pay on iPhone sounds.
10. Percentage in Equities, Instead of Percent
With a minor change, iOS 16.5 replaces “percent” with “percentage” in various places, as when sorting your watchlist or selecting what it displays. Thus you’ll see “Percentage Change” in place of “Percent Change.”
11. Updated VoiceOver commands
In iOS 16.5 VoiceOver has a few more tricks up its pocket. For example, in Settings -> Accessibility -> VoiceOver -> Commands -> All Commands -> Scrolling, there are new “Scroll to Bottom” and “Scroll to Top”commands. Earlier, the only available options were scroll up, down, left, and right. When VoiceOver is turned on, the two new options make it simpler to go to the top or bottom of a page by allowing you to specify a touch gesture or keyboard shortcut.
12. New Braille Tables
The VoiceOver accessibility options now include three new braille tables for the Danish language. The three new tables are actually the outdated ones from 1993 because the Danish braille standard was just revised. The 1993 tables will be accessible for at least a year, as requested by The Danish Braille Committee, according to Liblouis, the open-source braille translator and formatter used for most braille languages on iOS and other platforms.
- Danish (1993, Computer Braille)
- Danish (1993, Eight dot)
- Danish (1993, Six dot)
13. New Apple App Error Codes
To assist you in locating problems, Apple has updated several of its apps with new error codes.
iPhone Health
The iOS 16.5 code first lists six new error codes for Apple Health’s prescription reminders and scheduling. Schedules and/or reminders are not available on the current iPhone or iPhone with linked Apple Watch, according to the “Schedule Not Available” and “Schedule Unavailable”notices. As of yet, it is unknown what will cause these issues.
- Schedule for this medication is not available for this iPhone.
- Schedule and reminders for this medication are not available for this iPhone.
- Schedules and reminders for this medication are not available on this iPhone.
- Schedule and reminders for the following medications are not available for this iPhone:
- Schedule and reminders for this medication are not available for this iPhone and paired Apple Watch.
- Schedule and reminders for the following medications are not available for this iPhone and paired Apple Watch:
Apple Books
Second, if something goes wrong while you’re driving and you try to play an audiobook in Apple Books on your iPhone or through CarPlay, you might get the new error message below.
- Audiobooks won’t play. Check your iPhone’s Apple Books app when you stop driving.
Apple Podcasts
The third licensing error code for Podcasts is provided by Apple. There is a new corruption error in addition to the faults with the devices, slots, and subscription licenses.
- Please try playing again and make sure you have a cellular data connection or are connected to WiFi.
14. Bug Fixes
Moreover, Apple’s release notes list the following bug fixes:
- Fixes an issue where Spotlight may become unresponsive
- Addresses an issue where Podcasts in CarPlay may not load content
- Fixes an issue where Screen Time settings may reset or not sync across all devices
15. The Apple TV App’s Multiview for Sports
For sporting events, Apple is experimenting with a multiview feature in the iOS 16.5 Apple TV app. Although it isn’t yet accessible as a user-facing feature, iOS 16.5’s source code makes numerous references to it. For instance:
- “Remove a game first to add a new one.”
- “No More Games Available: Check back later for more games.”
- “Exit Multiview?”with “Confirm”and “Cancel”buttons.
With its Apple TV+ MLB and MLS broadcasts, Apple is now testing up to four concurrent streams, and it might make the split view available to other services as well. The two and four game icons have changed, and you might need to swipe up to start the multiview.
16. More State ID Support Might Arrive
In Arizona, Colorado, and Maryland, you may already upload your state ID or driver’s license to Apple Wallet. There may soon be support for more states thanks to a change in the PassKit framework’s code introduced in iOS 16.5.
- Add Your ID Card: This service is currently offered. Your identity card may still be added.
In March 2022, Apple announced that it was working to provide residents of Hawaii, Mississippi, Ohio, and the territory of Puerto Rico with Wallet support for state IDs and driver’s licenses. It also stated that Connecticut, Georgia, Iowa, Kentucky, Oklahoma, and Utah would be arriving six months later.
At TSA security checkpoints, as well as in some apps for air travel, vehicle rentals, banking services, government services, and health care, identification cards stored in Apple Wallet can be used to prove your age and identity.
17. Assistance for the brand-new Beats Studio Pro headphones
iOS 16.5 indicates Apple’s development of the yet-to-be-released Beats Studio Pro over-the-ear headphones with fresh images in several different locations of the code. According to 9to5Mac, the headphones should have a transparency option, improved active noise cancellation (ANC), and customized spatial audio.
