Final beta of iOS 15.5 arrives as launch nears
Several weeks after the release of iOS 15.4, Apple began beta testing iOS 15.5 (and associated operating systems like iPadOS, tvOS, and watchOS). With iOS 15.4, Apple released what seemed like all of the previously announced features and had nothing else to do until iOS 16 makes its WWDC debut, but iOS 15.5 still has a few minor changes in store for us. The first beta version of iOS 15.5 was released on Tuesday, April 5. We expect development to continue for several weeks, with a final release likely in May.
Update 05/12/22: The iOS 15.5 release candidate is now available to developers and public beta testers.
iOS 15.5 new features
Universal Control out of beta
Apple released Universal Control in iPadOS 15.4 with a beta tag, meaning it wasn’t quite stable. In iOS 15.5, Apple removed the beta tag, although there are no obvious changes.
Apple Cash Card Application and Submission
In the Wallet app, there are large “Request” and “Submit” buttons visible when looking at the Apple Cash card.
iTunes Pass = Apple account balance
iTunes Pass, a years-old feature for storing and managing your iTunes credit in Wallet, is renamed Apple Account. The card in Wallet will work the same as before, showing the unused balance in your Apple account. The name better reflects that it can be used for the App Store and in-app purchases, among other things. However, the name change is not yet present in the first beta version of iOS 15.5.
SportsKit and baseball
A new “SportsKit” framework has been in the works for some time, with references dating back to iOS 15.2. While the framework isn’t yet available to developers, it’s being expanded in iOS 15.5 to better support things like baseball scores for specific innings. Just in time for Friday Night Baseball.
classic apple
Apple acquired the classical music service Primephonic in August 2021, saying: “In the coming months, fans of Apple Music Classical will get a dedicated experience with the best features of Primephonic, including better navigation and search capabilities by composer and by repertoire. , detailed classical music metadata screens, plus new features and benefits.”
Well, that standalone classic experience hasn’t happened yet, but several references to “Apple Classical” have been found in the code of iOS 15.5, so maybe a release will happen alongside the final version.
Apple Pay Additions
9to5Mac reports that the second beta of iOS 15.5 adds support for the Italian Bancomat and Belgium Bancontact banking networks. No networks currently support Apple Pay.
podcast
Apple Podcasts includes a new setting to limit the episodes stored on your iPhone and automatically delete the oldest ones.
How to get the beta version of iOS 15.5
To download iOS 15.5 beta, go to beta.apple.com on the device you want to run the beta operating system on. Sign up for the beta, then download the profile.
Once you have the profile, go to Settings > General > VPN and device management to activate the profile, which requires a restart of your iPhone or iPad. Once the profile has been restarted and activated, go to General > Software update to download and install iOS/iPadOS 15.5 beta.
Registered developers can download the beta developer profile by visiting developer.apple.com/download on the device they want to install the beta on.