Although Apple has checked off a lot of the options it promised for iOS 16 eventually 12 months’s WWDC, the corporate continues to be pushing forward with one other iOS 16 level launch that would arrive as quickly as subsequent week.
As reported by MacRumors, a protected Twitter account that repeatedly shares pre-release iOS construct numbers simply earlier than launch has tipped off the iOS 16.5 Launch Candidate (RC) for builders with a construct of 20F65. This implies that the iOS 16.5 RC will doubtless arrive for builders and public beta testers this week. A closing public launch sometimes follows every week after the RC lands. By comparability, the present public beta has a construct variety of 20F5059a.
Whereas iOS 16.5 will doubtless be the final iOS 16 replace to reach earlier than Apple unveils iOS 17 at subsequent month’s Worldwide Builders Convention, it might not be the ultimate phrase for iOS 16. There have already been reviews of an iOS 16.6 being examined internally at Apple, and if iOS 16.5 certainly arrives subsequent week, the primary iOS 16.6 betas may present up simply earlier than WWDC.
That might observe final 12 months’s beta cycle for iOS 15.6, which additionally started within the weeks main as much as WWDC, with a public launch in late July. We noticed an identical timeline with iOS 13.6 two years earlier, though in 2021, Apple really had iOS 14.6 out and accessible two weeks earlier than WWDC unveiled iOS 15. Nonetheless, that model additionally went to iOS 14.7 in July.
Nonetheless, in contrast to a few of these prior level releases, it seems that iOS 16.5 could also be a bit much less thrilling. From the betas up to now, the one user-facing adjustments are facilitating simpler entry to My Sports activities in Apple’s Information app and letting you begin display information by way of Siri.
An iOS Replace for Sports activities Followers?
The Sports activities tab in Apple Information is useful for people who need fast entry to scores, schedules, and highlights on what’s taking place with their favourite groups. Nonetheless, this isn’t a brand new characteristic, per se — it’s merely a refinement of the My Sports activities characteristic that arrived in iOS 16.0.
The general My Sports activities in Apple Information supplies a dedication part within the Information app the place you may see the newest scores, standings, schedules, and information on your favourite groups — throughout a complete number of totally different sports activities, from mainstream leagues like MLB, NBA, NFL, and NHL, to golf, tennis, NASCAR, boxing, UFC, and extra.
The principle change with iOS 16.5 is that sports activities followers may have a a lot sooner option to get at this. As issues stand now, the entire sports activities part can solely be discovered by scrolling down by the “At the moment” view till you come to it. The primary time you hit this part, you’ll be prompted so as to add your favourite groups, and when you’ve completed that, these will seem on the Following tab to allow you to entry scores, schedules, and information for particular groups. Nonetheless, the one option to entry the entire overview of all of your favourite groups is to return to the At the moment view and scroll by the remainder of the information till you come to that part.
The Sports tab is a way of accessing that straight for many who wish to zero in on sports activities information with out being distracted by the whole lot else taking place on the earth. It is going to additionally profit those that haven’t arrange any favourite groups, as you’ll be prompted to try this the primary time you go to the brand new Sports activities tab.
Your favorites additionally sync with Apple’s TV app, so that you’ll have fast entry to approaching video games for these groups by any streaming app or service that integrates with the TV app.
Nonetheless, the larger change in iOS 16.5 might not be instantly obvious: a brand new multiview characteristic for watching a number of video games directly.
With iOS 16.5, it seems that Apple will be a part of the membership of mainstream sports activities broadcasting apps like ESPN by providing a multiview characteristic that allows you to concurrently put as much as 4 totally different sports activities video games on the display in a four-by-four grid. It’s one thing that YouTube has been toying with as properly, so Apple isn’t about to be left behind.
Many of us working the tvOS 16.5 public betas have already seen it go stay for video games streamed by Apple TV+ — these on MLB Friday Evening Baseball and MLS Season Go. It stays to be seen whether or not the characteristic will increase past Apple’s sports activities packages, notably since most different sports activities stream by their very own third-party apps reasonably than Apple’s TV app. Nonetheless, on the very least, it means that Apple is getting much more severe about sports activities, and it’s a secure wager that another leagues that come to Apple TV+ may even have the ability to reap the benefits of the brand new multiview characteristic.
[The information provided in this article has NOT been confirmed by Apple and may be speculation. Provided details may not be factual. Take all rumors, tech or otherwise, with a grain of salt.]