No sign of Apple Intelligence upgrade with the arrival of iOS 26.5

It appears that iOS 26.5 sets the stage for many changes in the backend, like ads in Apple Maps and Apple Intelligence in China, but there is no indication of AI upgrades.

The early release time for upgraded Apple Intelligence features powered by new Apple Foundation models is over. At this point, it appears Apple will wait until WWDC to make any changes to Apple Intelligence.

The iOS 26.5 version that has arrived has some changes, but nothing for the user. It lays the foundation for several new features and upgrades to come.

iOS 26.5 has build number 23F77.

What’s new in iOS 26.5

Apple is working to introduce ads to Apple Maps, and iOS 26.5 helps enable this feature. Now, all Apple will have to do is enable the backend and users will start encountering ads in search results.

A new annual subscription feature is also being introduced to the App Store with the update. It allows users to get annual discounts while paying month-to-month with a 12-month commitment.

End-to-end encryption in RCS hasn’t arrived yet, but the corresponding backend is being built. Code found in beta builds suggests the feature is on the way.

Apple was also forced to allow some system features to become more compatible with third-party accessories in the EU. With iOS 26.5, EU users can forward notifications to third-party smartwatches.

Apple Intelligence upgrades still pending

There are also signs that Apple is continuing its efforts to bring Apple Intelligence to China. It was accidentally enabled prematurely in an early beta of iOS 26.5, which could mean Apple is gearing up for a full launch soon.

The biggest news in this release is the lack of upgraded Apple Intelligence. There were rumors of a spring 2026 release of a more contextual Siri powered by Gemini-trained Apple Foundation models.

Of course, this can still happen at any time since Apple Intelligence updates occur independently of operating system updates. However, as Apple would surely announce such a release in advance, it seems the update won’t arrive until WWDC.

Although iOS 26.5 doesn’t have any user-facing features, users should still update as soon as reasonable to ensure they get the bug fixes and security patches it includes. Go to Settings app -> General -> Software Update to manually install the update.