Apple has been beta testing iOS 16.5 and other software updates since March, and now it seems that these updates are about to be released to the public. Ahead of the official release next week, the company is now rolling out iOS 16.5 RC, iPadOS 16.5 RC, tvOS 16.5 RC, watchOS 9.5 RC, and macOS 13.4 RC to developers and public beta users.

A RC or Release Candidate build is usually released to developers days before its official release to the public to ensure that the software has no major bugs.

What’s new in iOS 16.5 RC?

iOS 16.5 RC will be available today to registered developers and beta testers. As the update rolls out over the air within the next hour, you’ll be able to install it by going to the Settings app, choosing General, then choosing Software Update. RC’s build number is 20F65.

As attention starts to shift to iOS 17, which will be introduced next month at WWDC, iOS 16.5 doesn’t include many notable changes.

iOS 16.5 adds new screen recording commands to Siri, which allows you to start or stop a screen recording using the virtual assistant. The update also adds a dedicated Sports tab to the Apple News app, something which has been highly requested among sports fans in the past.

iOS 16.5 RC full release notes:

• A new Pride Celebration wallpaper for the Lock Screen to honor the LGBTQ+ community and culture
• Sports tab in Apple News gives easy access to stories, scores, standings, and more, for the teams and leagues you follow
• My Sports score and schedule cards in Apple News take you directly to game pages where you can find additional details about specific games
• Fixes an issue where Spotlight may become unresponsive
• Addresses an issue where Podcasts in CarPlay may not load content
• Fixes an issue where Screen Time settings may reset or not sync across all devices

macOS Ventura 13.4 and watchOS 9.5

 

 

 

 

One big change coming with macOS Ventura 13.4 and watchOS 9.5 is the new system for installing betas that was introduced with iOS 16.4. Both operating systems now ask for the Apple ID to show and download operating system beta updates.

The system checks whether the account is associated with a developer or user registered in the public beta program. It then shows the beta update available for that program. With this change, regular users will no longer be able to install developer betas, for example.

macOS 13.4 full release notes:

• Sports feed in the sidebar of Apple News gives easy access to stories, scores, standings, and more, for the teams and leagues you follow
• My Sports score and schedule cards in Apple News take you directly to game pages where you can find additional details about specific games
• Resolves an issue where Auto Unlock with Apple Watch does not log you into your Mac
• Fixes a Bluetooth issue where keyboards connect slowly to Mac after restarting
• Addresses a VoiceOver issue with navigating to landmarks on webpages
• Fixes an issue where Screen Time settings may reset or not sync across all devices

watchOS 9.5 full release notes:

watchOS 9.5 includes new features, improvements and bug fixes, including a new Pride Celebration watch face to honor the LGBTQ+ community and culture.

tvOS 16.5

For Apple TV users, tvOS 16.5 introduces a new Multiview feature for sports. Multiview allows users to watch up to four games at the same time in a split-screen interface. Start watching a game, and then within a video player, use the Add Game button to add another stream alongside it. The feature only works with games streamed by Apple through the TV app.

Along with tvOS 16.5 RC, Apple is also rolling out HomePod Software 16.5 RC. According to Apple, the updates will be released to the public next week.

 

 

 

 

 

To enter Multiview mode, start watching a sports stream in the normal full-screen player. When Multiview is available, a grid icon will appear in the controls toolbar above the scrubber.

Clicking this button minimises the video into a smaller floating window. Below, the UI presents a strip of other games to watch that are currently live. Select one of these games and it is added to the Multiview grid. Swipe up to remove the games strip and maximise with the streams of both games playing side-by-side.

You can see live video of both games at once, but you only hear the audio track of the video that is currently focused; the other is muted. Swipe on the Siri Remote to change which video you are hovering over to select the current audio source. Click on a video to temporarily take it full screen. When you press the Back button on the remote, the app returns to Multiview.

With Multiview, you can watch up to four games at once. When two or four games are active, a selector appears between the video preview and the games bar that lets you customize the arrangement of the grid. Switch between a symmetric grid or a layout where one video is larger than the others.

In practice, it all works well with smooth animations and intuitive gestures to control the action. For a feature that packs in as much complexity as it does, it feels simple. Frankly, it is harder to find a live game in the first place to serve as the entry point — the Apple TV app could really benefit from a dedicated Live tab to bring together everything live to watch right now, in a cohesive fashion.

As you might expect from a beta feature, I experienced a couple of minor bugs during testing. Sometimes, the audio or video of one stream would cut out altogether. Removing and re-adding the game would resolve it. Also, a wonky UI thing is that when you hover over a video, the interface suggests pressing the TV button on the remote to reveal some more options, similar to how you control Picture-in-Picture on Apple TV. However, pressing said TV button would simply close the app and take me back to the system’s home screen app grid. This seems like something that either hasn’t quite been finished yet, or leftover remnants of an earlier prototyped design.

The 16.5 beta cycle is ongoing and there’s time for these things to be fixed up before the 16.5 software update ships to customers. Apple hasn’t even confirmed if Multiview will launch with the 16.5 release; it could be pushed to a later version. It’s also not clear if this is intended as an Apple TV exclusive feature, or whether it will roll out to other platforms in the future.

Apple expands new method for installing beta updates to macOS and watchOS

Apple has introduced a new system for distributing beta software with iOS 16.4, which now checks whether the user’s Apple ID is participating in the Apple Developer Program or the Apple Beta Software Program. This system is now being expanded to the Mac and Apple Watch with macOS Ventura 13.4 and watchOS 9.5.

Apple is changing how users and developers install beta software on macOS and watchOS

As noted by 9to5Mac, both operating systems now ask for the Apple ID to show and download operating system beta updates. Just like in iOS 16.4 and later, the system checks whether the account is associated with a developer or user registered in the public beta program. It then shows the beta update available for that program.

Previously, anyone could install betas of iOS, macOS, and watchOS by having the right beta profile. But with this change, regular users will no longer be able to install developer betas, for example. Users who are not registered for the program will only have the option of installing public beta software.

According to Apple, the new system will become the only way to install beta software in the future. Here’s what the company said back in February:

Beginning with iOS & iPadOS 16.4 beta, members of the Apple Developer Program will see a new option to enable developer betas directly from Software Update in Settings. This new option will be automatically enabled on devices already enrolled in the program that update to the latest beta release.

Your iPhone or iPad must be signed in with the same Apple ID you used to enroll in the Apple Developer Program in order to see this option in Settings. In future iOS and iPadOS releases, this new setting will be the way to enable developer betas and configuration profiles will no longer grant access.

More about betas

Apple released iOS 16.5 beta 2 along with new betas of watchOS 9.5, tvOS 16.5, and macOS 13.4 on Tuesday. While iOS 16.4 introduced many new features, iOS 16.5 seems to be more focused on bug fixes. Still, the update adds new screen recording commands to Siri and a dedicated Sports tab to the Apple News app.