iOS 16.5 beta 1 now available to developers as iOS 17 draws near

After releasing iOS 16.4 to all users, Apple has now seeded the first beta of iOS 16.5. As of now, it’s unclear what’s new with this operating system besides bug fixes and improvements. Alongside this beta 1, the company is seeding the first test versions of watchOS 9.5, macOS 13.4, iPadOS 16.5, and tvOS 16.5.

With iOS 16.4, Apple brought several new features to users, such as:

• 20+ new emojis: There are 21 new figures available. And, for the first time, no people figures are being added. The highlights include a donkey, jellyfish, hair pick, high-five hands, and new heart colors.
• Web push notifications: Home Screen web apps can finally send web push notifications, including badges. In addition, third-party browsers can show a user interface for users to add a website to their home screen.
• 5G Standalone: Another iOS 16.4 feature is the new 5G Standalone function. This will help your iPhone deliver faster speeds of up to 3GBps. T-Mobile, Brazilian carriers Vivo and Tim, and Japan’s Softbank are some companies supporting it.

• Apple Music and Apple Podcasts tweaks: For the Music app, iOS 16.4 includes several tweaks. For example, adding a song to the queue no longer brings a full-screen pop-up. The playlists menu also shows the artwork cover in a smaller size. Apple Podcasts, for example, brings changes to the Library, improvements to Up Next, and CarPlay updates.
• Battery consumption: iOS 16.4 also tells you how much the Always-On display consumes while using it. That said, iPhone 14 Pro users will have more control over this feature and whether they’ll leave it on or off.
• Voice Isolation for calls: This important feature was available until the iPhone 12 and was removed by Apple when it launched the iPhone 13. Different from the Apple Books animation, this one wasn’t related to a software update but to the hardware itself. Now, the Cupertino firm is applying the same technology of FaceTime calls to let you isolate your voice on a cellular call so outside noise won’t disturb you.

BGR will let you know what’s new with iOS 16.5 while this beta cycle goes on. Since we are three months away from WWDC 2023, this is probably one of the latest updates for the iOS 16 cycle.