X

Apple iOS 15.5 Update: Here's What's in Apple's Latest iPhone OS

iOS 15.5 is a lot smaller than its predecessor, but it still brings some new features to your iPhone. Here's what you need to know.

Adam Benjamin Managing Editor
Adam Benjamin has helped people navigate complex problems for the past decade. The former digital services editor for Reviews.com, Adam now leads CNET's services and software team and contributes to its game coverage.
Expertise Operating systems, streaming services, mobile apps and first-person shooters Credentials
  • Adam has been covering streaming services since 2013 and wants to help people navigate the subscription creep in their lives.
Zachary McAuliffe Staff writer
Zach began writing for CNET in November, 2021 after writing for a broadcast news station in his hometown, Cincinnati, for five years. You can usually find him reading and drinking coffee or watching a TV series with his wife and their dog.
Expertise Web hosting, operating systems, applications and software Credentials
  • Apple software beta tester, "Helps make our computers and phones work!" - Zach's grandparents
Adam Benjamin
Zachary McAuliffe
3 min read
Apple iOS logo on a phone

Apple's iOS 15.5 release adds new features to Apple Cash and Podcasts.

James Martin/CNET

Apple's latest iPhone software update, iOS 15.5, brings a small handful of new features and updates to your iPhone. It's not the biggest iOS update, but you're missing out if you haven't downloaded it. 

The follow-up to iOS 15.4 offers a few small upgrades and improvements to apps that lay the groundwork for larger iPhone updates in the future (maybe in the form of iOS 16). Instead of bigger new features like Universal Control and mask-friendly Face ID, iOS 15.5 brings updates to Apple Cash, Photo Memories and the Podcasts app, to name a few. 

Here's everything you need to know about iOS 15.5 and its new features. For more, check out CNET's biggest hopes for iOS 16 (we could get a look at the next major iPhone update at Apple's WWDC in June) and what you can do to give your iPhone a privacy boost. Plus, there's a secret trackpad on your iPhone that'll make typing way easier.

iOS 15.5 release date

Apple released iOS 15.5 on May 16, alongside iPadOS 15.5.

How do I download iOS 15.5? 

You can download iOS 15.5 by going to Settings > General > Software Update > Download and Install. The 15.5 update is about 630MB. 

Apple Cash

The biggest functional change in 15.5 is the inclusion of Send and Request buttons for Apple Cash. With these buttons in iOS 15.5, you can receive and send money directly from your Apple Cash card, saving you a few steps for those transactions.

Podcasts app

A new feature in iOS 15.5 lets you change the settings in the podcast app to better manage your phone's storage. The setting allows you to limit the episodes stored on your phone and can automatically delete older episodes.

"Sensitive locations" in Photo Memories

iOS 15.5 tweaks the Memories function of Photos. Photos will no longer recommend Memories from "sensitive locations," which 9to5Mac notes are currently all related to the Holocaust. Apple could expand that list of locations in the future. 

iTunes Pass renamed Apple Balance

Another change is that the iTunes Pass feature for Wallet is renamed Apple Balance. You'll now find a separate card in Apple Wallet for Apple Balance, similar to how a credit card shows up in your Wallet. 

Apple Classical

There's no Apple Classical app in iOS 15.5. But MacRumors found references to a new Apple Classical app in the 15.5 beta that seems to be the endgame for Apple's acquisition of classical music streaming service Primephonic last year. Future iOS updates could include a stand-alone app for classical music. 

More SportsKit support

iOS 15.5 also offers more support for SportsKit as Apple brings live baseball into its content catalog. 

While you're exploring the changes to iOS 15.5, check out all the rumors we've heard about Apple's iOS 16. We'll also show you how to unlock your iPhone while wearing a mask and the newest privacy features you should try out. We also answer the question of when Apple's developer conference, WWDC, is being held this year, where we expect the first glance at iOS 16. Here's what we know about this year's WWDC keynote address.