Apple iOS 16.5 released: List of changes, and new features on your iPhone you should know

After months of beta testing, Apple has finally released iOS 16.5 and iPad 16.5 for all its users. With less than a month to go until WWDC 2023 and iOS 17, Apple is making minimal changes to its iOS 16. iOS 16.5 could also be the last update from Apple before the imminent launch of iOS 17.

Here are the new features announced by Apple:

iOS 16.5 has added a new sports page in the Apple News app. Users will be able to follow their favourite sports teams, players, and different leagues. Additionally, My Sports score and schedule cards in Apple News will take users to the game pages where they can find additional details about specific games

In a release note about the new feature, Apple said, “Sports tab in Apple News gives easy access to stories, scores, standings, and more, for the teams and leagues you follow.”

Pride Celebration wallpaper

Apple has launched a new Pride Celebration wallpaper to honour the LGBTQ+ community and their culture. The new wallpaper can be used on both the lock and home screens and comes with some interesting animations.

Bug fixes

Apple has fixed many issues with iOS 16.5 including an issue where Spotlight may become unresponsive, the issue with Podcasts in CarPlay not loading content, and an issue where Screen Time settings may have reset or not sync across all devices.

Interestingly, an earlier version of the iOS 16.5 beta came with a new Siri command to start and stop screen recording. The feature was removed in later beta versions and has been kept out of the final release of iOS 16.5

Recently, Apple also announced the new Assistive Features that will be released later this year and are widely speculated to be part of iOS 17. One feature that has caught the attention of Apple fans is the new Personal Voice feature, which essentially allows users to clone their voice in just 15 minutes.