Apple recently made an announcement stating the closure of the iOS/iPadOS 16.5 verification channel, effectively disabling the ability for users who have upgraded to revert to previous versions.
On May 19, Apple released the iOS/iPadOS 16.5 update (internal version number: 20F66). This update, while not substantial in terms of size, primarily focuses on addressing critical bugs rather than introducing a multitude of new features.
Key highlights of iOS 16.5 include:
Introduction of the Sports tab in Apple News: A new Sports tab within Apple News provides convenient access to coverage, scores, standings, and other related information for favored teams and leagues. Users can personalize their news feed by selecting their preferred teams and leagues. By clicking on sports scores and schedule cards, users can easily navigate to dedicated sports pages offering further event-specific details.
Pride wallpaper: To commemorate Pride Month in 2023, Apple introduced a pride month celebration wallpaper, available to users who have updated to iOS 16.5.
Bug fixes: Several issues were addressed with the following improvements:
- Resolved the unresponsiveness of Spotlight.
- Fixed a problem where podcasts failed to load content in CarPlay.
- Rectified Screen Time settings reset or failure to sync across devices.
Enhanced Security:
Apple’s official iOS security support document indicates that iOS 16.5 and iPadOS 16.5 have successfully addressed multiple vulnerabilities, three of which were proven to be exploited by hackers. Apple had previously resolved two vulnerabilities through the release of quick security response updates—iOS 16.4.1 and iPadOS 16.4.1. The remaining vulnerability resided in WebKit and allowed attackers to escape the web content sandbox. Apple successfully mitigated this vulnerability by implementing modifications to the bounds check mechanism.