Thanks to Apple's non-stop efforts to refine its software, iOS 16.5 is officially on the way for anyone with a new-enough iPhone.
With the previous iOS 16.4 now stably released, it's time for a new round of beta testing, with the first iOS 16.5 version landing in late March. Currently, you can only get the iOS 16.5 beta if you're registered as a developer. The public beta has yet to arrive, but Apple usually doesn't leave us waiting too long once the dev version's out.
If you're curious about what's coming, then we've not got a huge amount of information so far. Chances are there will be no headline feature, but we should still see some upgrades to Siri, Apple News and Apple TV based on what's already been found.
Read on for the lowdown on the iOS 16.5 beta, including the currently discovered new features.
iOS 16.5 beta: Compatible iPhones
iOS 16.5 will work with any iOS 16 supported devices. That translates to the iPhone 8, iPhone X and any more recent models.
As mentioned above, you will need a developer account if you want to access the developer version of the iOS 16.5 beta, the first version that'll be available. Public betas, which normally arrive shortly after, are open for anyone to opt-in via the Settings menu. Meanwhile, the stable version will gradually roll out to all compatible iPhones when it's ready, likely in a month or two's time.
If you're considering downloading a beta, try to do so on a non-primary device. Installing in-development software on a device filled with important or meaningful personal data puts that data at risk, so it's better to be safe than sorry if you want to try the latest software.
If you're considering downloading a beta, try to do so on a non-primary device.
iOS 16.5 beta: New features
Below is a list of all the features discovered in iOS 16.5 so far. We're not expecting too many big new additions since iOS 17 is nearly here and is presumably Apple's focus. However, any that are found we'll add here, so you know what to expect and what you may want to try out when the new iOS version appears on your iPhone.
Siri screen recordings
You can already ask Siri to take a screenshot for you, but screen recordings have not been an option until now. That's changed in the beta, with a straightforward request to the digital assistant starting and stopping a screen recording.
My Sports tab in Apple News
If you struggled to find news about your favorite sports teams in Apple News, it seems Apple understands your problem. Now at the bottom of the Apple News app, there's a Sports tab that will take you straight to the latest on your teams and their performance.
Multi-view for sports on Apple TV
Apple TV Plus has gradually introduced more and more live sport, meaning it can be hard to watch everything live. Fortunately, it appears that the iOS Apple TV app will soon let you watch up to four different video feeds of ongoing games in split-screen. That sounds a bit cramped on an iPhone screen, but if you simply must watch every moment live, this sounds like an ideal way to do it.
