Less than a day after the release of iOS 16.4, Apple began beta testing of iOS 16.5 with the release of the first developer beta, which should be followed by the public beta tomorrow or Thursday. We expect the final version of iOS 16.5 to be released in late April or May.
This could be the last iOS 16 update before the first iOS 17 beta lands at WWDC in June.
iOS 16.5: new features
It’s unclear how many new features and changes users can expect from iOS 16.5, but we’ll update this section over time as changes are discovered. Here’s what we know so far:
Apple News Sports tab: When you launch the Apple News app in iOS 16.5, you’ll see a new Sports tab at the bottom of the screen. It replaces the dedicated Search tab, which is now part of Follow. In iOS 16.4 and earlier, My Sports was located under the For You section of the Today screen.
iOS 16.5: Install the public beta
The process for installing a beta has changed in iOS 16.4. This is how the new process works:
- Click Sign Up on the Apple Beta page and register with your Apple ID.
- Sign up for the beta software program.
- Click Enroll your iOS device.
- Open the Settings app, tap GeneralThan Software update.
- In the Beta updates section, select the iOS public beta.
It may take a while after registration for the beta option to appear Software update.
iOS 16.5: Download the developer beta
You must be registered as an Apple developer. Joining the Apple Developer Program costs $99 per year.
- Register for the Apple Developer Program at developer.apple.com.
- Open the Institutions app, tap GeneralThan Software update.
- In the Beta updates section, select the Beta for iOS developers.
Registered developers can choose to get the public beta instead by selecting iOS public beta from the Software Update screen. After registering as a developer, it may take some time for the option to appear in Software Updates.
Some developers have registered an Apple ID for developer access that is different from the Apple ID associated with their personal Apple account and data. To use a different Apple ID for beta access than the rest of iOS, open Institutions > General > Software update > Beta updates and select the Apple ID at the bottom of the screen.
Risks and Precautions
First of all, note that betas are test versions of upcoming software. They are unfinished by definition, and while they should contain most or all of the features of the final product, there will be cosmetic differences and, inevitably, some glitches and issues to fix. The glitches and issues are why Apple makes the effort to beta test iOS in the first place.
In other words, don’t expect a perfect user experience. In particular, don’t expect existing apps (including apps you may rely on) to work perfectly with the new version. In extreme cases, you may even find that your device has been bricked by the beta and cannot be used until the next beta comes along and hopefully fixes the problem. It is not uncommon for early beta software to also show problems such as excessive battery drain.
The closer we get to the final launch and iOS version, the more polished and complete we can expect the available betas to become. The opposite of that, of course, is that there’s less time left to wait for the official launch, so you won’t gain as much by installing a beta.
Assuming you decide to proceed, we can’t stress enough the importance of backing up your iPhone before installing an iOS beta, or better yet, use a secondary device instead of your main iPhone. You won’t lose everything if something goes wrong while the beta is being installed, and you can roll back to the latest version if you find you don’t like the new software or it contains too many bugs.
