Apple Releases iOS 5 Beta 5 to Developers

ios52
In a surprise move, Apple has released iOS 5 Beta 5 (build 9A5288d) to developers on Saturday. Apple typically releases new developer seeds on weekdays. Alongside the iOS 5 beta 5 release is Xcode 4.2 Developer Preview 5, iTunes 10.5 Beta 5 and Apple TV Software beta 4.

iOS 5 Beta 5 is available as an over the air update, but according to the release notes, users must first erase all content and settings by choosing Settings > General > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings. Apple recommends backing up your device using iTunes 10.5 Beta 4 or through iCloud prior to installing iOS 5 beta 5, and subsequently restoring. That said, some users have been able to upgrade fine without going through that process.

ios5b5
thanks Elijah

BGR posts the release notes, which details some fixes, but no major new features. We're looking into what other changes may have occurred.

Hearing Aid Mode is said to be new in iOS 5 Beta 5:

hearingaid

Over the air update from Beta 4 to Beta 5 is 128MB.

NatesTechUpdate offers this video which goes over some of the new findings in iOS 5:

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching in Three Months With These 12 New Features

Saturday June 14, 2025 5:45 pm PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are three months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of June 2025:Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone X through iPhone 14 Pro have a...
iPadOS 26 App Windowing

Apple Explains Why iPads Don't Just Run macOS

Friday June 13, 2025 7:46 am PDT by
iPadOS 26 allows iPads to function much more like Macs, with a new app windowing system, a swipe-down menu bar at the top of the screen, and more. However, Apple has stopped short of allowing iPads to run macOS, and it has now explained why. In an interview this week with Swiss tech journalist Rafael Zeier, Apple's software engineering chief Craig Federighi said that iPadOS 26's new Mac-like ...
iphone 16 pro models 1

17 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 17

Thursday June 12, 2025 8:58 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you skipped the iPhone...
Logitech Logo Feature

Logitech Announces Two New Accessories for WWDC

Friday June 13, 2025 7:22 am PDT by
Alongside WWDC this week, Logitech announced notable new accessories for the iPad and Apple Vision Pro. The Logitech Muse is a spatially-tracked stylus developed for use with the Apple Vision Pro. Introduced during the WWDC 2025 keynote address, Muse is intended to support the next generation of spatial computing workflows enabled by visionOS 26. The device incorporates six degrees of...
iOS 26 Screens

Here Are All the iOS 26 Features That Require iPhone 15 Pro or Newer

Thursday June 12, 2025 4:53 am PDT by
With iOS 26, Apple has introduced some major changes to the iPhone experience, headlined by the new Liquid Glass redesign that's available across all compatible devices. However, several of the update's features are exclusive to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models, since they rely on Apple Intelligence. The following features are powered by on-device large language models and machine...
CarPlay Liquid Glass Dark

Apple to Let iPhone Users Watch Videos on CarPlay Screen While Parked

Thursday June 12, 2025 6:16 am PDT by
Apple this week announced that iPhone users will soon be able to watch videos right on the CarPlay screen in supported vehicles. iPhone users will be able to wirelessly stream videos to the CarPlay screen using AirPlay, according to Apple. For safety reasons, video playback will only be available when the vehicle is parked, to prevent distracted driving. The connected iPhone will be able to...
iOS 26 on Three iPhones

Hate iOS 26's Liquid Glass Design? Here's How to Tone It Down

Wednesday June 11, 2025 4:22 pm PDT by
iOS 26 features a whole new design material that Apple calls Liquid Glass, with a focus on transparency that lets the content on your display shine through the controls. If you're not a fan of the look, or are having trouble with readability, there is a step that you can take to make things more opaque without entirely losing out on the new look. Apple has multiple Accessibility options that ...
Mac Studio Feature

Apple Begins Selling Refurbished Mac Studio With M4 Max and M3 Ultra Chips at a Discount

Thursday June 12, 2025 10:14 am PDT by
Apple today added Mac Studio models with M4 Max and M3 Ultra chips to its online certified refurbished store in the United States, Canada, Japan, Singapore, and many European countries, for the first time since they were released in March. As usual for refurbished Macs, prices are discounted by approximately 15% compared to the equivalent new models on Apple's online store. Note that Apple's ...
iOS 26 Feature

Apple Seeds Revised iOS 26 Developer Beta to Fix Battery Issue

Friday June 13, 2025 10:15 am PDT by
Apple today provided developers with a revised version of the first iOS 26 beta for testing purposes. The update is only available for the iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 models, so if you're running iOS 26 on an iPhone 14 or earlier, you won't see the revised beta. Registered developers can download the new beta software through the Settings app on each device. The revised beta addresses an...

Top Rated Comments

admanimal Avatar
181 months ago
I agree what's the point of an OTA update if I still have to restore my device?

It's almost as if they are trying to do some sort of "beta testing" with it or something. Crazy Apple!
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
PNutts Avatar
181 months ago
OK, well then I guess there's no point on using it them. Will restore the normal way.

I agree what's the point of an OTA update if I still have to restore my device?

The term "beta tester" has sure changed a lot from when I used to do it.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
admanimal Avatar
181 months ago
Camera+ (http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/id329670577?mt=8) and Mashable! (http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mashable/id356202138?mt=8) have both been accepted with unofficial support for iOS 5..... the update log on iTunes page has since changed

original details can be found here: http://www.cultofmac.com/apple-already-approving-app-updates-for-ios-5-%E2%80%94-launch-next-month/107598

There is a difference between being compatible with iOS 5 and having features that require iOS 5. I am the developer of an app that does not run at all on iOS 5 at the moment. However, I can fix the problem and make it work on (a.k.a. be compatible with) iOS 5 without ever touching the iOS 5 SDK. I can submit that update today. The thing I can't do is submit an update that uses an API that is only found in iOS 5. These apps that have updated for compatibility with iOS 5 are doing the former: fixing issues with running on iOS 5 using the iOS 4 SDK.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
saving107 Avatar
181 months ago
Apple: Please don't forget us lowly mac users and try to release iLion 10.7.1 before 2012. :confused:
What's an iLion?

Are your talking about OS X Lion?

Mac OS 10.7.2 released to developers...
https://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=1196198

Apple has not yet made any mention of 10.7.1. OS X Lion was just released last week, and we expect that 10.7.1 will be delivered shortly as an initial bug fix to customers.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dagamer34 Avatar
181 months ago
I agree what's the point of an OTA update if I still have to restore my device?

It's a beta. The only officially supported OTA updated with be starting with future versions of iOS 5.0 onward. They don't really care about bugs that only arise from 5.0 beta 4 -> 5.0 beta 5.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Votekinky06 Avatar
181 months ago
how do I get this thing installed without paying the $99 registration or whatever fee?? Any hacks?
You should definitely have googled that before asking it here. Prepare yourself for the onslaught of "You have NO BUSINESS downloading a beta if you have to ask this, NON-DEV" douchebagery.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)