Apple Releases iOS 16.5 For iPhone: Here's What You Get
Apple is expected to take the covers off the next major iOS release (iOS 17) at WWDC 2023 on June 5, 2023. While the stable version of iOS 17 is not expected until September, Apple will likely regularly issue bug fixes and feature updates for iOS 16 — the current stable version — over the next several months. That is precisely what happened today after Apple began rolling out iOS 16.5 to users globally.
A quick glance at the release notes for iOS 16.5 reveals that this is a relatively minor update with a short changelog. Among the key additions new to iOS 16.5 are a new Pride Celebration wallpaper and an entirely new tab dedicated to Sport-related content on Apple News. As well, iOS 16.5 also fixes an issue that many users had with Apple's Spotlight. Besides this, Apple has fixed an issue wherein any podcast content used in conjunction with Apple CarPlay would simply stop loading. Finally, the changelog also refers to an issue with the Screen Time settings that has been fixed.
Like in the past, Apple is likely to dedicate a significant part of its WWDC keynote to discussing the company's software initiatives, particularly iOS 17, before moving on to another key product — the much-rumored Apple mixed-reality headset, which could see officialdom this year.
iPadOS 16.5, updates for MacOS Ventura, and watchOS 9.5 also released
Alongside iOS 16.5, Apple has also started rolling out iPadOS 16.5 for, well, iPad users. The changelog for iPadOS 16.5 lists even fewer changes and primarily consists of the same bug fixes as iOS 16.5. That, however, is not the case with macOS Ventura 13.4. The change log for the desktop-class operating system indicates a handful of feature enhancements and usual bug fixes. While the feature enhancements have been carried forward from the iPhone and iPad, the same cannot be said about the bug fixes.
Among the issues fixed by the latest macOS Ventura update is a bug that impacted the Auto Unlock feature enabled using an Apple Watch. The newest update also fixes an issue with Bluetooth connectivity on wireless keyboards. In addition, those facing issues with Screen Time settings in the previous version of macOS Ventura should no longer face the same problem post the update.
Apple's smartwatch operating system watchOS is also being updated to watchOS 9.5. The list of features enabled by watchOS 9.5 includes a new Pride watch face and a series of small bug fixes and improvements. As outlined earlier, all of these software updates are already in the process of being rolled out to users.