Less than day after the release of iOS 16.4, Apple began the 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 anticipate the final release of iOS 16.5 will arrive 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 the bottom of the screen. It replaces the dedicated Search tab, which is now part of Following. In iOS 16.4 and earlier, My Sports could be found below the For You section on the Today screen.
iOS 16.5: How to install the public beta
The process for installing a beta has changed in iOS 16.4. Here’s how the new process works:
- Click Sign Up on the Apple Beta page and register with your Apple ID.
- Log in to the Beta Software Program.
- Click Enroll your iOS device.
- Open the Settings app, tap General, then Software Update.
- In the Beta Updates section, select the iOS Public Beta.
It may take a few moments after registering for the beta option to appear in Software Update.
iOS 16.5: How to get the Developer Beta
You’ll need to be registered as an Apple developer. Joining the Apple Developer Program costs $99 a year.
- Register for the Apple developer program at developer.apple.com.
- Open the Settings app, tap General, then Software Update.
- In the Beta Updates section, select the iOS Developer Beta.
Registered developers can choose to get the Public Beta instead by selecting iOS Public Beta in the Software Update screen. It may take a little time after registering as a developer for the option to appear in Software Updates.
Some developers have an Apple ID registered 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 is used throughout the rest of iOS, open Settings > General > Software Update > Beta Updates and select the Apple ID at the bottom of the screen.
Risks and precautions
Note first of all that betas are test versions of upcoming software. They are by definition unfinished, and while they should include most or all of the features in the finished product, there will be cosmetic differences and, inevitably, some glitches and problems that will need to be fixed. The glitches and problems are why Apple bothers 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 ones that you may rely on) to work perfectly with the new version. In extreme cases you may even find that your device is bricked by the beta, and cannot be used until the next beta comes along and hopefully fixes the problem. It’s not uncommon for early beta software to exhibit problems like excessive battery drain, too.
The closer we get to the final launch and iOS version, the more polished and feature-complete we can expect the available betas to become. The counter to that, of course, is there will be less time left to wait for the official launch, so you won’t be gaining so much by installing a beta.
Assuming you decide to go ahead, we can’t stress enough how important it is to back up your iPhone before you install an iOS beta, or better still, use a secondary device rather than your main iPhone. You won’t lose everything if something goes wrong while the beta is installing, and you’ll be able to go back to the last version should you find that you don’t like the new software after all, or that it’s too buggy.
