Apple Details 3 New iPhone Features in iOS 26.5
▼ Summary
– iOS 26.5 introduces end-to-end encrypted RCS messaging (beta), available with supported carriers and rolling out over time.
– A downloadable Pride Luminance wallpaper is included, which dynamically refracts a spectrum of colors.
– Maps adds Suggested Places in Maps, displaying recommendations based on trending nearby locations and recent searches.
– Apple Maps ads are not included in iOS 26.5; the ad program will launch later this summer in the US and Canada.
– Apple is preparing to unveil iOS 27 in about a month, expected to focus on Siri and Apple Intelligence.
Apple has officially seeded the first iOS 26.5 Release Candidate (RC) build to developers, outlining three key upgrades coming to the iPhone. The public rollout of iOS 26.5 is expected to arrive next week.
Here is a breakdown of the official release notes for iOS 26.5, which detail the specific improvements users can anticipate.
The general summary describes the update as follows: “This update introduces end-to-end encrypted RCS (beta) messaging and a downloadable Pride Luminance wallpaper, along with enhancements, bug fixes, and security updates for your iPhone.”
Apple then provides more detail on each of these three features:
- End-to-end encrypted RCS messaging (beta) in Messages is available with supported carriers and will be rolled out gradually.Additionally, while Apple Maps is introducing ads starting in the United States and Canada, iOS 26.5 does not automatically enable this feature. Apple plans to launch the ad program later this summer.The update also includes a new watch face for the Apple Watch, available through watchOS 26.5. You can view the new wallpaper and watch face here.Looking further ahead, Apple is preparing to unveil iOS 27 in just over a month. The next major version is expected to focus heavily on Siri and Apple Intelligence capabilities.
