Apple seeded the initial betas of iOS 16.5 and macOS Ventura 13.4 to the general public on Thursday. Developers were given access on Tuesday. Beta testing began almost immediately after the public release of the previous versions.
iPadOS 16.5 beta 1, watchOS 9.5 beta 1 and tvOS 16.5 beta 1 are also available to the public and to devs.
New day, new iOS 16.5 and macOS 13.4 betas
Work on all Apple’s operating systems is virtually continuous. As soon as it releases one group of upgrades to the public, beta testing begins on the next versions.
So just 24 hours after the release of iOS 16.4 and macOS Ventura 13.3 came the first round beta testing on their replacements. The same is true for new OS versions for iPad, Apple Watch and Apple TV. These went to developers first, but the general public can test them now, too.
The list of features coming in iOS 16.5 includes screen recording using Siri and a greater emphasis on sports in the Apple News app.
Not just for devs
Initially, the first round of new updates for iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and Apple TV were available only for devs who pay to be in Apple’s developer program. But on Thursday those in Apple’s free public beta program gained access.
If Apple follows its usual habits, the second round of iOS 16.5, macOS 13.4, etc. betas won’t be out for two weeks.
Ed Hardy has been writing full-time about tech for 25 years, and using it for much longer than that. His intro to Apple was a Macintosh Classic II (which he still has), but now he uses a 13-inch iPad Pro as his primary computer. He’s written for NotebookReview, TabletPCReview, and Brighthand, as well as other sites.
