Apple revealed iOS 16, iPadOS 16, and macOS Ventura during the main keynote of WWDC22. This year, the iPhone got a lot of attention -- particularly when it comes to its Lock Screen. Gone are the days of all iPhone Lock Screens looking like tweaked iterations of themselves. Users can now change the font, add widgets, and set wallpapers with a depth effect. iOS 16 not only introduces that, though. We also got improvements to Mail, Messages, FaceTime, Reminders, and more. The previous betas have already brought most of the additions that Apple announced during its conference. However, there are some more changes to look forward to. Here's what's included in iOS 16 beta 5.
What's new in iOS 16 beta 5
Battery percentage for notched iPhones
For the first time since the debut of Face ID iPhones, notched iPhone users can now view the battery percentage in the status bar -- thanks to iOS 16 beta 5. Though, the feature seemingly doesn't work on the iPhone XR, iPhone 11, iPhone 12 Mini, and iPhone 13 Mini.
Lock Screen audio visualizer
iOS 16 beta 5 introduces a new audio visualizer on the Lock Screen media player. It animates based on the music you're playing.
New Splash Screens
iOS 16 beta 5 includes new Splash Screen in the Find My and Photos apps. They highlight recent additions to these Apple applications, including Find My support for AirPods and the Photos Shared Library.
We will update this article once we further dig into iOS 16 beta 5, if we find other new features or changes. In the meantime, you can check out Apple's Release Notes -- where the company has officially highlighted some of the known bugs and fixes included in this version.
Beta 4
Sorting Subscriptions
iOS 16 beta 4 brings a new option to sort App Store subscriptions by name, price, or renewal date.
Undo Send Mail options
iOS 16 beta 4 allows users to disable or change the duration for the Undo Send feature in the Mail app. Prior to beta 4, users had no way to customize or turn off the feature.
Tweaks to Accessibility Settings
In the Accessibility section of the Settings app, iOS 16 beta 4 adds a shortcut to use your iPhone to control your other nearby Apple devices. Part of the company's Switch Control settings, the new shortcut lets you adjust the volume or playback, bring up Siri or the Control Center, and do more on another device.
Redesigned notification style settings
iOS 16 beta 4 also redesigns the notification style options in the Settings app. Prior to this beta, there were no visuals displaying the difference between each of the three options.
New Home app wallpapers
The fourth beta of iOS 16 adds new wallpapers to the Apple Home app.
Tweaks to the Lock Screen
Beta 4 of iOS 16 introduces a new "Add Widgets" button when customizing the Lock Screen. Prior to this build, it was just a plus (+) icon without any text. Additionally, some wallpapers -- including the default iOS 16 one -- lose Perspective Zoom support.
Tweaks to the People album
iOS 16 beta 4 adds a new heart icon next to each person in the People album of the Photos app. Clicking the heart adds the person to favorites.
New App Store splash screen
On iOS 16 beta 4, when users launch the Apple App Store for the first time, they're welcomed by a new splash screen highlighting how it's a trusted and safe place to download apps and games.
Tweaks to edited messages
When a user edits a message, iOS 16 beta 4 enables the recipients to see its edit history. Prior to this beta, recipients had no way to tell what the original message was.
Beta 3
Large album art on Lock Screen
In the revised version of iOS 16 beta 3, Apple introduced the optional, full-screen album art on the Lock Screen. You can toggle it by clicking on its thumbnail in the music player Live Activity.
Lockdown Mode
This mode is an extreme security measure that you should only use if you believe you're being targeted by someone. When you enable it, attachments in Messages are disabled, including links, certain web technologies are blocked, FaceTime calls and invitations from strangers sent through Apple services are blocked, and more. You can read more about this new setting on Apple's Newsroom website.
iCloud Shared Photo Library
iOS 16 beta 3 introduces iCloud Shared Photo Library. This feature allows you to automatically share relevant photos and videos with family and/or friends. The person who creates a shared library has to provide the needed iCloud storage for it.
New wallpaper
iOS 16 beta 3 adds a new Clownfish wallpaper. It's the same one Steve Jobs previewed when introducing the very first iPhone in 2007. The wallpaper never actually made it to any iPhone model until now.
New Lock Screen fonts
iOS 16 beta 3 adds two new fonts for users to choose from. Prior to this build, users were limited to just six -- instead of eight.
Beta 2
Continuity Camera Tweaks
iOS 16 beta 2 adds a Pause button to the Continuity Camera UI. This allows users to temporarily pause the video feed streaming to their Macs from their iPhones.
New Lock Screen Filters
iOS 16 beta 2 introduces two new Lock Screen filters -- Duotone and Color Wash. You can try them out by swiping horizontally in customization mode. Speaking of Lock Screens, this beta also tweaks its user interface (UI) and makes it easier to navigate through its process.
iMessage Tweaks
When an iOS 16 beta 2 user edits an iMessage sent to someone on iOS 15 or earlier, it'll now send a duplicate text that reflects the edits made. On beta 1, this behavior was absent, and those on an older versions of the OS had no way to tell that a message has been tweaked or what these edits are.
Mail Tweaks
iOS 16 beta 2 also allows users to choose if an email from a blocked sender remains in the inbox or gets automatically trashed. By default, these emails go to the trash.
Focus Tweaks
Apart from that, iOS 16 beta 2 also allows users to select which Focus modes share their status with apps. This allows you to share with others that you've enabled Focus when using the Work mode but not Gaming mode, for example.
Back up to iCloud over cellular or Wi-Fi
According to Apple's Release Notes, iOS 16 beta 2 allows users to back up their iPhones using 4G, 5G, or Wi-Fi. This is ideal for those who depend on mobile data and don't typically have access to a Wi-Fi network.
Beta 1
iOS 16 beta 1 brought most of the features the company previewed during WWDC 2022. These include Lock Screen customizations and widgets, upgraded Collaboration, new Memoji styles and stickers, and a ton of other features. You can check our hands-on with iOS 16 beta 1 -- where we've identified some of the most notable changes included in the particular beta build.
iOS 16 will be available to all users this fall. In the meantime, enthusiastic users can download and install the beta version. Though, always remember that the experience will likely be buggy and unstable.
Which of the new features included in iOS 16 do you look forward to using the most? Let us know in the comments section below.