iOS 15.5 & Co.: Apple releases RC versions

After a somewhat quick beta phase, Apple is now rolling out the release candidate versions of iOS 15.5, iPadOS 15.5, tvOS 15.5, watchOS 8.6 and macOS Monterey 12.4.

After more than a month of beta testing, Apple has released the release candidate of iOS 15.5 for developers and public beta users releasedThis suggests that the update could be released to all users as early as next week. iOS 15.5 and iPadOS 15.5 are smaller updates compared to previous iOS 15 point releases, so the number of changes is limited. Apple may release an Apple Classical app in the near future, which is mentioned in the beta but not yet available. With the iOS 15.5 update, Apple is laying the groundwork for a feature that will allow developers of "reader" apps to add a link to an external website to sign up for and manage accounts outside of the App Store. Now for the official statement.

iOS 15.5 new features

Apple says iOS 15.5 includes improvements to Apple Cash that make it easier to request and send money from your Apple Cash card in the Wallet app. There's also a new feature in Apple Podcasts that helps save storage on your iPhone and some bug fixes for HomeKit. Below is the full update description for iOS 15.5:

iOS 15.5 includes the following improvements and bug fixes:

Wallet now allows Apple Cash customers to send and request money from their Apple Cash card.
Apple Podcasts includes a new setting to limit the number of episodes stored on iPhone and automatically delete older episodes.
Fixes an issue that may cause home automations triggered by people arriving or departing to fail.

Remember: The name "Release Candidate" usually means it's the final beta version of iOS 15.5 before it's released to everyone. For this reason, Apple also publishes the update's full release notes at the same time. (Photo by Runa0410 / Bigstockphoto)