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 17 models

No iPhone 18 Launch This Year, Reports Suggest

Thursday January 1, 2026 8:43 am PST by
Apple is not expected to release a standard iPhone 18 model this year, according to a growing number of reports that suggest the company is planning a significant change to its long-standing annual iPhone launch cycle. Despite the immense success of the iPhone 17 in 2025, the iPhone 18 is not expected to arrive until the spring of 2027, leaving the iPhone 17 in the lineup as the latest...
duolingo ad live activity

Duolingo Used iPhone's Dynamic Island to Display Ads, Violating Apple Design Guidelines

Friday January 2, 2026 1:36 pm PST by
Language learning app Duolingo has apparently been using the iPhone's Live Activity feature to display ads on the Lock Screen and the Dynamic Island, which violates Apple's design guidelines. According to multiple reports on Reddit, the Duolingo app has been displaying an ad for a "Super offer," which is Duolingo's paid subscription option. Apple's guidelines for Live Activity state that...
Low Cost A18 Pro MacBook Feature Pink

Apple's 2026 Low-Cost A18 Pro MacBook: What We Know So Far

Friday January 2, 2026 4:33 pm PST by
Apple is planning to release a low-cost MacBook in 2026, which will apparently compete with more affordable Chromebooks and Windows PCs. Apple's most affordable Mac right now is the $999 MacBook Air, and the upcoming low-cost MacBook is expected to be cheaper. Here's what we know about the low-cost MacBook so far. Size Rumors suggest the low-cost MacBook will have a display that's around 13 ...
govee floor lamp

CES 2026: Govee Announces New Matter-Connected Ceiling and Floor Lights

Sunday January 4, 2026 5:00 am PST by
Govee today introduced three new HomeKit-compatible lighting products, including the Govee Floor Lamp 3, the Govee Ceiling Light Ultra, and the Govee Sky Ceiling Light. The Govee Floor Lamp 3 is the successor to the Floor Lamp 2, and it offers Matter integration with the option to connect to HomeKit. The Floor Lamp 3 offers an upgraded LuminBlend+ lighting system that can reproduce 281...
Belkin 25W Battery magnetic

CES 2026: Belkin Announces Magnetic Ring Power Bank, Modular Dock, and More

Sunday January 4, 2026 3:02 pm PST by
Belkin today announced a range of new charging and connectivity accessories at CES 2026, expanding its portfolio of products aimed at Apple device users. UltraCharge Pro Power Bank 10K with Magnetic Ring The lineup includes new Qi2 and Qi2.2 wireless chargers, magnetic power banks, a high-capacity laptop battery, and USB-C productivity accessories, with an emphasis on higher charging...
airpods pro 3 glitter

AirPods New Year's Deals Include Up to $99 Off AirPods Max, AirPods Pro 3, and AirPods 4

Sunday January 4, 2026 8:04 am PST by
Now that the calendar has flipped over into January, steep discounts on popular Apple products have become more rare after the holidays. However, if you didn't get a new pair of AirPods recently and are looking for a model on sale, Amazon does have a few solid second-best prices this week. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a...
Low Cost MacBook Feature A18 Pro

Low-Price 12.9-Inch MacBook With A18 Pro Chip Reportedly Launching Early This Year

Friday January 2, 2026 9:08 am PST by
Apple plans to introduce a 12.9-inch MacBook in spring 2026, according to TrendForce. In a press release this week, the Taiwanese research firm said this MacBook will be aimed at the entry-level to mid-range market, with "competitive pricing." TrendForce did not share any further details about this MacBook, but the information that it shared lines up with several rumors about a more...
Clicks Communicator Feature

'Clicks Communicator' Unveiled — Will You Carry This With Your iPhone?

Friday January 2, 2026 6:35 am PST by
The company behind the BlackBerry-like Clicks Keyboard accessory for the iPhone today unveiled a new Android 16 smartphone called the Clicks Communicator. The purpose-built device is designed to be used as a second phone alongside your iPhone, with the intended focus being communication over content consumption. It runs a custom Android launcher that offers a curated selection of messaging...

Top Rated Comments

Realityck Avatar
36 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
36 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
36 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)