iOS 16.5 Beta for iPhone: What's New So Far - MacRumors
Skip to Content

iOS 16.5 Beta for iPhone: What's New So Far

Apple made the first beta of iOS 16.5 available to developers and public testers last month. So far, only two new features and changes have been discovered for the iPhone, including a Sports tab in the Apple News app and the ability to start a screen recording with Siri. More details about these changes are outlined below.

iOS 16
iOS 16.5 should be publicly released in May, and it is possible that more features will be added in later beta versions. To try out the beta, sign up for an Apple Developer Program membership for $99 per year or the free Apple Beta Software Program.

Sports Tab in Apple News

apple news sports tab
Apple has added a Sports tab to the News app on iOS 16.5, giving you easy access to news, scores, and schedules for your favorite teams and leagues. This information was previously available in the Today tab, but it is now featured more prominently as Apple continues to push deeper into sports content across its services.

Screen Recordings via Siri

hey siri banner apple
A small but convenient feature added with iOS 16.5 is the ability to ask Siri to start a screen recording. You can say "Hey Siri, start a screen recording" to record a video of your iPhone's screen, and ask Siri to stop the recording when desired. You can still start a screen recording via Control Center after enabling the feature in Settings → Control Center.

Wrap Up

iOS 16.5 is looking to be a minor update so far, which isn't too surprising given that Apple will unveil iOS 17 at WWDC in June. Prior to iOS 16.5, Apple is preparing to release iOS 16.4.1, likely with bug fixes and security improvements.

Related Forum: iOS 16

Popular Stories

iPhone Handoff Feature

iOS 27 Introduces New 'iPhone Handoff' Feature

Wednesday September 2, 2026 12:35 pm PDT by
Apple has added a new "iPhone Handoff" feature to iOS 27 that will allow you to switch between two iPhones while using the same phone number on each device. This functionality was briefly mentioned during the WWDC 2026 keynote in June, on a slide that listed hundreds of new features coming in iOS 27 and corresponding software updates, but Apple never shared any further details at the time. ...
Dynamic Island iPhone 18 Pro Feature

iPhone 18 Pro Prices Estimated Ahead of Apple Event Next Week

Thursday September 3, 2026 3:41 am PDT by
Less than a week before Apple debuts new iPhone 18 Pro models, research firm TrendForce has estimated the prices of the devices based on the latest hardware cost environment. TrendForce's price estimates compared to last year's models look like this: Model Starting Price Model Starting Price Change iPhone 17 Pro $1,099 iPhone 18 Pro $...
Apple Foldable Thumb

iPhone Ultra's Very High Price and Features Revealed in New Report

Thursday September 3, 2026 7:33 am PDT by
Ahead of Apple's event on Wednesday, September 9, where it is expected to unveil its first-ever foldable iPhone, Taiwanese research firm TrendForce today outlined the device's estimated price range, features, and some other key details. In the U.S., TrendForce estimated that the foldable iPhone will have a starting price of $2,099 to $2,299 and said the highest-end configurations could...

Top Rated Comments

erikkfi Avatar
45 months ago
What if you've turned off Siri because it's stupid and terrible?
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️ Avatar
45 months ago

What if you've turned off Siri because it's stupid and terrible?
It's more like it's outdated and 10+ years behind. Apple needs to take Siri seriously.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
45 months ago
I hope the savings account finally comes in iOS 16.5. :)
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
tridley68 Avatar
45 months ago
What! no new emoji's
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️ Avatar
45 months ago

What! no new emoji's
No more emoji’s until iOS 17 🫨
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️ Avatar
45 months ago

Does the weather app work again?
Seems like it has been fixed. Hopefully, it works just fine from now on.


View post on X
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)