Apple Releases First Public Betas of iOS 16.5 and iPadOS 16.5 - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Apple Releases First Public Betas of iOS 16.5 and iPadOS 16.5

Apple today seeded the first betas of upcoming iOS 16.5 and iPadOS 16.5 updates to public beta testers, allowing non-developers to test out the software head of its official launch. The public betas come two days after Apple provided the betas to developers.

iOS 16
Those who have signed up their accounts for Apple's free beta testing program can enable the beta by opening up the Settings app, going to General, selecting Software Update, tapping on Beta Updates, and selecting the iOS 16 Public Beta option.

iOS 16.5 appears to be a relatively minor update, and few changes were found in the first developer beta. There is a new Sports tab located in the Apple News app, and Siri can now be asked to start a screen recording.

Development on iOS 16 is slowing down as Apple prepares for the upcoming June debut of iOS 17, the next-generation version of iOS.

Apple has also seeded a new public beta of watchOS 9.5 to public beta testers.

Related Forum: iOS 16

Popular Stories

Apple Skipping iPhone 18 This Year

Apple Skipping iPhone 18 Launch This Year

Wednesday August 12, 2026 6:59 am PDT by
Apple supplier Pegatron today indirectly confirmed that the standard iPhone 18 model will not be released until next year, according to a new report. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Pegatron held an earnings call for the second quarter of 2026 today. On the call, Taiwan's Economic Daily News said Pegatron indicated that one of its customers will be changing its...
iPhone 18 Pro Rumored Colors

What's Coming in September: New iPhones, Apple Watches and More

Thursday August 13, 2026 4:20 pm PDT by
Apple will introduce at least five new devices at its iPhone-centric event next month, and it's also possible we'll get devices waiting on Siri AI like the Apple TV. iPhone 18 Pro The iPhone 18 Pro is going to look like the iPhone 17 Pro, but with a smaller Dynamic Island. It's getting some internal updates, including a new Wide camera with a variable aperture for more control over lighting ...
Apple Event Logo

Apple Working on All-New Operating System

Tuesday August 11, 2026 1:11 pm PDT by
Apple is developing an all-new operating system that is essentially a mix of tvOS, watchOS, and iOS, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In a recent report, he said the operating system will feature a grid of icons, widgets, and apps, along with customizable clock faces. The new software platform is intended for Apple's long-rumored smart home hub. With built-in facial recognition, the...

Top Rated Comments

Johnny907 Avatar
44 months ago
Siri lets you start a screen recording now.
She still can’t so much as adjust headphone volume without an internet connection, and half the time getting her to reply to a text message requires unlocking the bloody phone first which defeats the entire point, but ooooo now she can save you a pull down gesture and button push.
Progress!
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sjsharksfan12 Avatar
44 months ago

If you disable public beta to off, I would think you need to power off the device. Then turn it on again after it being off for so many seconds. Then it shouldn’t prompt the update.
I did it the old way and removed the device from the Beta process.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
d4cloo Avatar
44 months ago

Siri lets you start a screen recording now.
She still can’t so much as adjust headphone volume without an internet connection, and half the time getting her to reply to a text message requires unlocking the bloody phone first which defeats the entire point, but ooooo now she can save you a pull down gesture and button push.
Progress!
Exactly. Siri often even doesn’t get triggered on my phone until I shout HEY SIRI for third time.
Many of my attempts aren’t understood and often she tells me “I can’t do that on this device” or responds audible on the wrong device (e.g suddenly on my HomePod instead of phone).
It’s extremely hard to discover what she is capable of and what not, and it’s quickly getting ridiculously outdated now that I’m interacting with OpenAI’s GPT-4 and Whisper.
A while back my internet was down but my WiFi was working just fine. Even the most simple commands required an internet connection.
Siri feels like a completely failed technology for years that has only has been patched and had no clear vision or direction since its inception.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Johnnyponken Avatar
44 months ago

Siri lets you start a screen recording now.
She still can’t so much as adjust headphone volume without an internet connection, and half the time getting her to reply to a text message requires unlocking the bloody phone first which defeats the entire point, but ooooo now she can save you a pull down gesture and button push.
Progress!
I am hoping that they till iOS 17 retires Siri altogether and puts out the next generation of voice assistant called “Alpha” that works using 4gpt
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)