In the current release cycle, Apple is focusing on backend work that does not affect Apple Vision Pro, but visionOS 26.5 has been released with bug fixes.
There are always updates to apply to an operating system, even if they don’t change anything for the user. This is the case for the latest version of visionOS.
Apple released visionOS 26.5 with barebones release notes that only mention bug fixes and feature optimizations. The latest operating system updates mainly focus on behind-the-scenes changes that prepare systems for future features.
While many of these changes primarily apply to iPhone users, they also affect the rest of the product ecosystem.
Background updates
OS 26.5 updates lay the groundwork for Apple Maps to offer search ads. Apple Vision Pro runs Apple Maps as a compatible iPad app, which means the ads will likely appear there as well.
Apple also enabled a new App Store subscription option that allows for annual discounts with monthly payments. Users will need to commit to 12 months of payments, but this is cheaper than just paying monthly.
Apple Vision Pro has messages, which means it can also send RCS messages. OS version 26.5 continues the work to make this chat standard fully end-to-end encrypted, although it’s not yet.
Still no new Apple Intelligence
Those waiting for new Apple Intelligence features like a more contextual Siri will have to wait a little longer. While some rumors pointed to a spring release of the new Gemini-trained Apple Foundation models, there is still no indication that this is happening.
Apple could release the new AI at any time via a backend update, but this seems unlikely due to the proximity of WWDC. Expect the new AI features we’ve been waiting for to be revealed during the developer event.
Even without any user-facing upgrades, users should install visionOS 26.5 as soon as reasonable for security patches and bug fixes. Go to Settings -> General -> Software Update to manually install visionOS 26.5 if it hasn’t already been installed automatically.