Apple Releases Second Public Betas of iOS 16.5 and iPadOS 16.5

Apple today seeded the second 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 second public betas come two weeks after the first public betas, and a day after the second developer betas.

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.

Related Forum: iOS 16

Popular Stories

iphone 16 apple intelligence

Apple Aiming to Release 'Breakthrough' New iPhone Accessory

Wednesday February 18, 2026 12:43 pm PST by
Apple is looking for a "breakthrough" with its push into wearable AI devices, including an "AirTag-sized pendant," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In a report this week, he said the pendant is reminiscent of the failed Humane AI Pin, but it would be an iPhone accessory rather than a standalone product. The pendant would feature an "always-on" camera and a microphone for Siri voice...
iphone 17 pro green

iPhone 17 Pro Max Curiously Becomes Most Traded-In Smartphone

Wednesday February 18, 2026 9:13 am PST by
New trade-in data indicates that Apple's iPhone 17 Pro Max has rapidly become the single most traded-in smartphone. According to a new report from SellCell, Apple's latest flagship iPhone has quickly risen to the top of the independent trade-in market, accounting for 11.5% of all devices appearing in the top-20 trade-in rankings just months after release. The analysis is based on SellCell...
Multicolored Low Cost A18 Pro MacBook Feature

Low-Cost MacBook Expected on March 4 in These Colors

Wednesday February 18, 2026 5:42 am PST by
Apple will announce its rumored low-cost MacBook at its event on March 4, with the device coming in a selection of bold color options, according to a known leaker. Earlier this week, Apple announced a "special Apple Experience" for the media in New York, London, and Shanghai, taking place on March 4, 2026 at 9:00am ET. Posting on Weibo, the leaker known as "Instant Digital" said that the...
CarPlay Liquid Glass Dark

iOS 26.4's New CarPlay Video Feature Shown in Action

Wednesday February 18, 2026 9:29 am PST by
Back at WWDC 2025, Apple revealed that it was planning to allow CarPlay users to watch video via AirPlay in their vehicles while they are not driving, and the first beta of iOS 26.4 suggests the feature may be nearing availability. There are several new references to CarPlay video streaming functionality within the iOS 26.4 beta's source code. The feature is not yet visible to users, but...
Dynamic Island iPhone 18 Pro Feature

10 Reasons to Wait for Apple's iPhone 18 Pro

Wednesday February 18, 2026 5:12 am PST 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 at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth...

Top Rated Comments

Realityck Avatar
37 months ago
[SPOILER="iOS & iPadOS 16.5 Beta 2 Release Notes"]
[HEADING=2]Home ('https://developer.apple.com/documentation/ios-ipados-release-notes/ios-ipados-16_5-release-notes#Home')[/HEADING]
[HEADING=3]New Features ('https://developer.apple.com/documentation/ios-ipados-release-notes/ios-ipados-16_5-release-notes#New-Features')[/HEADING]

* A shared administrator in a home is now able to pair and add Matter accessories. (106449382)

[HEADING=3]Resolved Issues ('https://developer.apple.com/documentation/ios-ipados-release-notes/ios-ipados-16_5-release-notes#Resolved-Issues')[/HEADING]

* Fixed: When a manual software update is attempted on a Matter accessory with an available update, Home might not indicate that the update has been requested and continue to indicate an update is available. (104902918)
* Fixed: Accessory paring by shared administrators will fail if Home hubs are running versions prior than tvOS 16.5 beta. (105204882)
* Fixed: Software updates for Matter accessories might be offered again even though the update already completed successfully. (106768113)
* Fixed: Shared administrators aren’t able to pair the first Matter accessory in a Home. (107073942

[/SPOILER]
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Realityck Avatar
37 months ago
Yes the IOS/IPadOS 16.5 beta 2 PB is now available

Yesterdays seeds

* iOS 16.5 beta 2 (20F5039e) - April 11, 2023
* iPadOS 16.5 beta 2 (20F5039e) - April 11, 2023
* macOS 13.4 beta 2 (22F5037d) - April 11, 2023
* watchOS 9.5 beta 2 (20T5538d) - April 11, 2023
* tvOS 16.5 beta 2 (20L5538d) - April 11, 2023
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Robert.Walter Avatar
37 months ago
Wow that install slightly freaked me out.

After install it had screens like a new phone setup:
- hello screen
- select Wi-Fi (I don’t use Wi-Fi at home my iPhone hotspot is my Wi-Fi). I was able to use next button without choosing a network.
- different screen for unlocking sim.
- then analytics yes/no.
- then “updated to 16.5, get started”.

All a bit weird. But it worked.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)