Apple releases iOS 16.5 and iPadOS 16.5 to the public

AppleInsider

Apple has released iOS 16.5 and iPadOS 16.5 to the public, with the new updates now installable on iPhones and iPads.

As WWDC 2023 and the introduction of iOS 17 looms, Apple isn't quite finished with iOS 16 yet. With the release of iOS 16.5 and iPadOS 16.5, Apple is making relatively few visible changes to the operating systems, with new features likely being saved for the next milestone releases.

The release of iOS 16.5 and iPadOS 16.5 occurs after a brief beta-testing period, which consisted of three rounds of testing.

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As for the content of the updates, the betas indicated that features on the way included a dedicated Sports tab in Apple News, additional screen recording instructions for Siri, and a four-screen picture-in-picture mode for the Apple TV app.

The relatively few public-facing changes is a change from iOS 16.4, which had a lot more visible updates.

How to update to the latest releases

Devices update automatically within a day or two, depending on the user's settings. Those who want to install the update sooner can do so manually.

For iOS and iPadOS, users can navigate to the Settings app, select General, then Software Update.

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hselburn

And the final version build number is?

mpantone

hselburn said:

And the final version build number is?

According to one commenter on a different site's forum, the build number is 20F66. I cannot provide verification myself since I will wait a week to install this update.

Apple's software QA has gotten so bad these days, I simply won't install any of their operating system software on release day. (Note: I upgraded to iOS 16 in April. That's right, I waited half a year.) Pity, this was not always the case for me, I used to enthusiastically install iOS and OS X upon release about 7 years ago.

I might even wait for the iOS 16.5.1 release instead. The fact that they pushed out multiple release candidates in quick succession did not instill any confidence.

Best of luck.

edited May 2023

dewme

The only thing that I noticed that was slightly unusual with this update is the fact that it doesn't retain the WiFi and Trust device (if your device is connected via USB to your Mac) settings from the previous version. You'll have to re-enter your WiFi password and acknowledge the Trust device prompt. Thinking about it a little makes me believe that this behavior is probably the cleaner way to go from a security standpoint. But be prepared to deal with the WiFi password situation for WiFi-only devices because they will reboot to the new version in a disconnected state.

I only experienced this on iPhone and iPad. The Mac version update retained the WiFi password.

edited May 2023

jfc_pa

OR the basic reason for the update:
” However, in addition to all that, the new software updates also include patches for potentially exploited issues, all related to WebKit. The patches are present across all the updated software, and, as such, users should make sure to update their devices as soon as possible.”