iOS 26.5 coming soon with these new features

iOS 26.5 is expected to be released in May, after more than a month of beta testing. The update is relatively minor so far, which isn’t too surprising given that Apple is starting to focus on iOS 27.

iOS 26.5 lays the foundation for end-to-end encryption for RCS in the Messages app and ads in the Apple Maps app, and it will include a new Pride wallpaper and a few other changes. Below, we break down all the notable additions in iOS 26.5.

End-to-end encryption for RCS

End-to-end encryption for ‌RCS‌ is a security feature that ensures that messages sent between supported iOS 26.5 and Android devices are encrypted and cannot be intercepted and read by a third party during transmission.

Apple already tested end-to-end encryption for RCS in the iOS 26.4 beta, but the feature did not make it to the final release of iOS 26.4 in March. The option returned in the iOS 26.5 beta, but it remains to be seen whether it will appear in the final version.

Announcements and “Suggested Places” in Apple Maps

In March, Apple announced that localized ads would be running on the Apple Maps app on iPhone and iPad in the United States and Canada starting “this summer,” and there is evidence that Apple is preparing for it in the code for iOS 26.5.

Apple says businesses in the United States and Canada will be able to place local listings in search results and at the top of a new “Suggested Places” section.

“Ads in Maps will appear when users search in Maps and may appear at the top of a user’s search results based on relevance, as well as at the top of a new Suggested Places experience in Maps, which will show recommendations based on nearby trends, the user’s recent searches, and more,” Apple says.

Similar to ads already running in App Store search results on iPhone and iPad, ads in Apple Maps will have an “Ad” label, and Apple is promising strong privacy protections. For example, Apple says that a user’s location and the ads they see and interact with in Apple Maps are not associated with a user’s Apple account.

New Pride Wallpaper

Alongside the new Pride Edition Sport Loop and Pride Luminance watch faces for the Apple Watch, iOS 26.5 will include a matching iPhone wallpaper.

Apple said the wallpaper features a “happy, vibrant design to celebrate LGBTQ+ communities around the world during Pride Month and beyond.”

The wallpaper has a dynamic design with customizable colors.

More

In the iOS 26.5 beta, Apple is also working to expand iPhone features like notifications, Live Activity, and AirPods-like pairing to third-party smartwatches and earphones in the EU, as required by the Digital Markets Act.

Beyond that, iOS 26.5 only has a few other minor changes.