Apple Releases iOS 10 Beta 5 with Many Minor Changes Including a New Lock Screen Sound

Obviously in preparation of the official iOS 10 release in September, Apple began seeding the fifth iOS 10 beta to developers this morning. iOS 10 beta 5 comes just one week after the release of iOS 10 beta 4, and only three weeks after Apple began seeding the third beta. Typically, Apple releases their beta versions every two weeks or so – it’s clear that the developers at Apple are hard at work to perfect iOS 10 before it hits the public in just over a month.

iOS 10, which Apple’s senior VP of software engineering Craig Federighi called “possibly the biggest release ever for users”, is stacked with tons of useful new features, including revamped Apple Music, News, and Maps apps. HomeKit and Siri see some incredible new upgrades, and the Messages app has been overhauled with the addition of a ton of new, fun features. Previous iOS 10 beta versions saw the Messages App Store go live, the addition of several 3D Touch shortcuts, the addition of over 100 new emojis, and several minor tweaks and bug fixes to the OS.

The fifth iOS 10 beta doesn’t necessarily introduce any exciting new features. In fact, it appears to be more of an “under-the-hood” update than anything else. The fifth beta fixes a bug with the iPhone 6 and 6s that caused problems with Apple’s Smart Battery Case, and the Photos App erases all facial recognition data as Apple is reportedly looking to reprocess it. A number of minor tweaks are also present – the lock sound now mimics a closing door, the Control Center icons in the music panel have been changed sligthtly, and all widgets see a bit of a design change. Upon first appearance, iOS 10 beta 5 doesn’t offer a whole lot of note, but Apple’s developers are clearly cleaning things up in the OS behind the scenes.

iOS 10 beta 5 comes alongside new betas for tvOS 10, watchOS 3, and macOS Sierra, the latter of which will reportedly be able to discover Apple-Pay-compatible devices for the forthcoming Apple Pay in Safari feature. All three operating systems will likely see official releases this coming September during an Apple event that will likely see the official launch of the iPhone 7, and possibly the Apple Watch 2 and a new line of MacBook Pros. The event will likely take place in early September, with rumors placing the date on the 6^th or 7^th.

Update: Apple has just made a new public beta available for users in the public beta program.