Apple has issued the first beta releases for iOS 15.5, which promises to be the final significant update before iOS 16 is announced.
iOS 15.5 Beta 1 for iPhone is now available to download for registered developers and Apple’s public beta program members.
The headline here is the first reference to the Apple Classical music app, which was rumoured as a dedicated extension to Apple Music last year, following Apple’s acquisition of the Primephonic app.
It’s all been quiet since, but MacRumours delved into the iOS 15.5 Beta 1 source code and found a direct reference to Apple Classical. The site found strings containing the commands: “Open in Apple Classical”, “Open this in the new app designed for classical music” and “A Shortcut to Apple Classical.”
It may not be this release that contains Apple Classical, which is likely to be a noteworthy iOS 16 feature, complete with support for Lossless and Spatial Audio.
There aren’t a huge array of other new features to tell of, but there are a couple of significant changes within the Wallet app and ecosystem. 9to5Mac noticed Send and Request buttons for Apple Cash sitting within that Wallet app for starters.
On a more minor level, the Apple Card physical credit card is now known as ‘Titanium Card’ in the Wallet settings. For those using Apple Pay to send money within the Messages app, that’ll now be called Apple Cash.
Elsewhere, there’s a small change that displays the strength of the WiFi signal for a HomePod speaker within the iOS Home app. This should make it easier for users to position their speaker(s) in the best place to pick up the strongest signal, or inform users which network to connect to.
Just yesterday, Apple confirmed the keynote date for WWDC 2022 and let the world know that on June 6, we’ll see the latest innovations in iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, macOS, tvOS, and it’s other major apps and services.