iOS 15.5 Beta Is Now Available To Developer Beta Testers
After Apple released its last major update for iPhones and iPads in the form of iOS 15.4 and iPadOS 15.4 three weeks ago, many users reported degraded battery performance on their mobile devices. As a result, Apple had to release an interim update labeled iOS 15.4.1 (and iPadOS 15.4.1) a week ago to fix those issues. Less than a week later, the company has started seeding the beta versions of its next major iOS update to developers in the form of iOS 15.5 and iPadOS 15.5 beta.
Although Apple's official release notes do not talk about any major feature additions to iOS with 15.5 and instead tout this one to be an incremental update with several bug fixes, some interesting new additions are worth mentioning. Also, this one is quite a significant update as far as Apple is concerned — given that iOS 15.5 could very likely be the last major update to iOS 15 before Apple moves to iOS 16 later this year. Below are some of the more important changes this latest beta brings to the table.
What to expect from iOS 15.5
According to MacRumors, there is a very good chance Apple may finally introduce the much-rumored "Apple Classical" app with iOS 15.5. For those unaware, this is a standalone music app that will complement Apple Music, but will be dedicated to connoisseurs of classical music. Apple Classical is likely to be based on Primephonic — a music streaming service dedicated to classical music — that was acquired by Apple last year.
Since then, references to "Apple Classical" have appeared several times now within the company's code, with the first sighting of the name in an Android beta release of Apple Music. Now, the folks at MacRumors have spotted the same code within iOS 15.5 beta, indicating the app is likely ready for prime time. There is still a good chance Apple could defer the release of Apple Classical to coincide with the release of iOS 16, though.
iOS 15.5 is also likely to bring a mild update to Apple Pay in the form of "Send" and "Receive" buttons within the Cash section. For people facing issues with the Universal Control feature with macOS 12.3 and iPadOS 15.4, Apple suggests they update all of their Universal Control devices to the new betas. Another likely update to iOS 15.5 would be the rebranding of the name iTunes Pass to "Apple Balance." The fresh release of iOS 15.5 Beta 1 can be downloaded and installed via a simple over-the-air update. To be eligible for this update, you will need to register for Apple's beta program.