3+ New iOS 15.5 Features and Changes Coming to Your iPhone
In a sign that iOS 15 updates may finally be slowing down from their previously frantic pace, Apple has taken its time pushing out the first developer beta of iOS 15.5. The new beta, which kicks off what could be the final significant iOS 15 point release before iOS 16 arrives, landed yesterday, three weeks after the public release of iOS 15.4.
This marks a pretty big shift from prior iOS 15 point releases, every one of which saw the first beta of the next version arriving only a few days after the public release. However, at this point, Apple has also delivered on everything that it promised for iOS 15 and its brethren. Universal Control on the iPad and Mac and Digital IDs on the iPhone were the final pieces of the puzzle. Those fell into place last month; folks in Arizona can now use Digital IDs in iOS 15.4, and Universal Control arrived in iPadOS 15.4 and macOS 12.3.
iOS 15.4 also brought a surprise for iPhone users: the ability to fully use Face ID while wearing a mask. As far as we can tell, the first iOS 15.5 beta doesn’t include anything quite that remarkable. Since Apple doesn’t have anything else waiting in the wings, it’s probably fair to say this is mostly about refinements and under-the-hood changes.
Still, a point release means we should see more than just “bug fixes and performance improvements.” Generally, Apple only does a full increment when there are significant API changes. In this case, we’re guessing that Apple is laying more of the groundwork for its new Tap to Pay feature. Continue reading to browse 3+ New iOS 15.5 Features and Changes Coming to Your iPhone.