About a week after Apple released iOS 15.4.1 to the general public, the company has started testing iOS 15.5. Apple released iOS 15.5 beta 1 to the developers and public beta testers earlier this week. The software update comes with a number of bug fixes and upgrades, though it isn't as feature-rich as the previous updates and is focused primarily on under-the-hood changes.

Still, we think you should look forward to the iOS 15.5 update, which will probably be the last major iPhone update before iOS 16 is showcased at WWDC 2022. Below are all the changes that we have spotted so far in the iOS 15.5 beta 1. We'll continue updating the list as more and more features are found, so be sure to check back and learn more about the upcoming iPhone update.

iOS 15.5 Features

References to 'Apple Classical'

Apple classical iOS 15.5

Source: MacRumors

iOS 15.5 includes some references to a new unannounced feature that the company is developing behind the scenes called "Apple Classical". Apple Classical is the company's long-rumored streaming app that will focus on orchestral music solely. Some strings, namely "Open in Apple Classical" and "Open this in the new app designed for classical music", in the Music app of the latest iOS update suggest that the company is actively developing the standalone app and it could finally launch it with iOS 15.5.

Changes to Apple Pay Cash

Apple Cash changes iOS 15.5

Source: MacRumors

Apple is adding new buttons to the Apple Pay Cash card in the Wallet app on iOS 15.5. You can directly use the "Request" and "Send" buttons beneath the Apple Pay Cash card to, well, send and request money. In addition to this change, "Apple Pay" has also been renamed to "Apple Cash" in the Messages app.

New Apple Account Card

With iOS 15.5, Apple has reportedly started the work to rebrand "iTunes Pass" to "Apple Account Card". The change was spotted first by the reputed publication 9to5Mac. Currently, if you add money to the Apple ID, you can use it to purchase apps, songs, movies, etc, and can check it by going to the App Store or by adding the iTunes Pass to the Apple Wallet app.

The report claims that with iOS 15.5, Apple will start showing this balance under "Apple Account Card" in the Wallet app. It will be similar to how Apple Card and the Apple Cash card are displayed currently in the Wallet app. "Your account balance can be used to buy products, accessories, apps, games, and more online or in-store with ‌Apple Pay‌," reads the Apple Account Card code.

apple reader app payment process

Source: Apple

Last month, Apple announced that it will allow 'reader' apps to include a link in their app that will take the user to an external website to process payments. According to Apple, reader apps are those apps that offer digital content as the primary function, such as magazines, newspapers, books, audio, music, or video. These apps include Netflix, Spotify, Hulu, Amazon Kindle, and more. With iOS 15.5 Apple will finally allow these apps to support the "External Link Account Entitlement" feature.

Apple SportsKit

Another unannounced feature that Apple continues to develop in iOS 15.5 is the Apple SportsKit. This "kit" allows Apple home screen widgets and Siri to fetch the scores and other data about sports and live games. The company has reportedly added more features to the SportsKit as it prepares to launch Friday Night Baseball.

Other tidbits

  • In iOS 15.5 Apple now shows the Wi-Fi signal strength of your HomePods in the Home app. This is to ensure that your HomePod has a strong internet connection and works smoothly.
  • Apple Card is now referred to as "Titanium Card" in the Wallet app. Could it mean that more tiers of Apple Card are incoming?
  • Changes to how some commands work on HomePod: While we're not sure if this change comes with iOS 15.5 or iOS 15.4.1, but many users on Reddit have noticed that the many Siri commands that used to trigger a Home scene do not work on the latest software update. A user reports that they used the "Hey Siri, I'm home" command to trigger their Home scene. Apparently, with the latest update, the command doesn't work and Siri now replies "Home sweet home" instead of triggering the Home scene.

When will Apple release iOS 15.5 stable version?

Apple has only released the first developer beta of iOS 15.5 right now. As it has done with the previous iOS updates in the past, Apple is expected to release a few more developer betas of the iOS 15.5 before releasing the final stable update to the public. Make sure to check back and learn more about when iOS 15.5 will be available for the general public.