Update: iOS 16.5 has now begun rolling out to iPhone users, bringing with it a series of important security patches.
iOS 16.4 only began rolling out to iPhone users this week, but that hasn’t stopped Apple from launching the first beta for iOS 16.5.
As reported by Bloomberg’s resident Apple expert Mark Gurman, iOS 16.5 is expected to be the final incremental iOS 16 update before the iOS 17 beta goes live in June, with only “minor” changes on the cards for apps including Siri and Apple News.
“At this stage, it makes little sense to add anything of substance with iOS 17 around the corner,” Gurman wrote on Twitter, confirming that screen recording via Siri and a dedicated Sports tab in Apple News are the main additions in the first iOS 16.5 beta.
With regards to screen recording via Siri, iOS 16.5 will let you start a screen recording by saying, “Hey Siri, start a screen recording.” You’ll then be able to stop the recording by saying – you guessed it! – “Hey Siri, stop screen recording.”
iOS 16.5 looks to be about as minor as iOS 16.4 with only screen recording via Siri and a dedicated Sports tab in Apple News as the main additions in Beta 1. At this stage, it makes little sense to add anything of substance with iOS 17 around the corner.March 28, 2023
For Apple News, iOS 16.5 will add a new Sports tab at the bottom of the screen. Currently, the My Sports section is positioned below the For You section on the Today screen. The dedicated Search tab will also form part of the Following tab in iOS 16.5.
As additional iOS 16.5 betas roll out in the coming weeks, we’ll likely learn more about other new features this upcoming incremental update will bring to the table. However, as with iOS 16.4 – whose flagship improvement was improved phone call quality – we’re not expecting iOS 16.5 to radically reinvent the experience of using the best iPhones.
To install the iOS 16.5 beta on your own iPhone, head to Apple’s Beta page and register with your Apple ID. After that, log in to the Beta Software Program, enroll your iOS device, then head to your Settings app. Tap General, then Software Update, then select the iOS Public Beta in the Beta Updates section.
iOS 16.5 proper is expected to roll out in either April or May 2023, before iOS 17 is officially unveiled at Apple’s WWDC developer conference in June.
When it comes to the features iOS 17 could introduce, we’re not anticipating any groundbreaking additions, like the lock screen or home screen widget upgrades that came with previous iOS releases.
However, although Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman had previously reported that development on the Apple VR headset would lead to “fewer major changes” for iOS 17, the seasoned Apple expert has since claimed that the upcoming update will actually provide several of users’ “most requested features.” In practice, this will likely mean a range of significant upgrades to existing iPhone features and apps, like CarPlay, Siri and Messages.
