iOS 17.5 Beta Imminent, Here’s What to Expect

The first iOS 17.5 beta for iPhone is imminent.

A private account that often shares information about unreleased Apple software has released iOS 17.5’s build number, a sign that the first beta is close. The build number is reportedly 21F5048f.

This account typically releases information when an iOS release is imminent so the first beta should arrive for iPhone users sometime this week.

We, and others, have also seen iOS 17.5 popup in site analytics which is also a sign a software update is ready for public consumption.

This is exciting news given that Apple’s been in a bit of a dry spell in terms of beta software.

Its been several weeks since the company pulled its iOS 17.4 milestone from beta testing. Apple typically puts new software into testing almost immediately after pushing new software to iPhone users.

It’s unclear what will be on board iOS 17.5, but Apple is planning to provide “more flexibility for developers who distribute apps in the European Union (EU)” including “a new way to distribute apps directly from a developer’s website.”

The company says these changes will arrive in the spring which means there’s a good chance they’re on board iOS 17.5. We’ll find out for sure in the near future.

There’s also chatter about changes to Apple ID Recovery Contacts, but the exact nature of these improvements is unknown at this time.

As for iOS 17.5’s release date, we expect the software to stay in beta testing for several weeks, culminating with a release sometime in May.

iOS 17.5 will arrive alongside other software including iPadOS 17.5 for iPad and macOS Sonoma 14.5 for Mac.