Ammon News - Apple has just seeded the iOS 26.5 release candidate build, which means one thing and one thing only––your iPhone will be getting a new update in the coming days. This would most certainly be one of the last major iOS updates before iOS 27, as any future releases will most certainly only include major bug fixes.

iOS 26.5 is coming next week

Usually, release candidates are immediately available to participants in any of Apple's beta programs, be it the developer or public ones. However, regular users typically get the same software version in a week's time, which essentially means that you can expect iOS 26.5 to arrive on your iPhone starting May 12.

Here's what's coming with iOS 26.5

RCS E2EE

With iOS 26.5, Apple will bring end-to-end RCS encryption to the ecosystem. This is a crucial security feature that will make RCS messaging between iPhones and Android phones that much safer, as third parties won't be able to intercept any texts while they are being delivered. This feature was supposed to come with iOS 26.4, but due to one reason or another, it didn't.

Ads in Apple Maps

The age of ad-less Apple Maps has come to an end. Starting this summer, Apple will allow businesses to purchase local ads that will appear in search results as well as at the very top of the new "Suggested Places" section inside the app. Suggested Places will be enabled with iOS 26.5.

For now, these ads will only appear in the US and Canada, but the writing's on the wall: expect to see this feature roll out to more regions in the near future. Apple also swears that your location and the ads you see aren't associated with your respective Apple Account.

Opening up the garden

In the EU, iOS 26.5 will extend notifications, Live Activities, and AirPods-like pairing to smartwatches, earbuds, and headphones made by other companies. This was courtesy of the Digital Markets Act and ensures that you don't get a second-class experience if you don't necessarily use your iPhone with an Apple Watch or AirPods.

New wallpaper

It's nearly June, which means most companies out there will be expressing their solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community. Apple traditionally does that by releasing a new Pride wallpaper, and this year's no different––there's a dynamic one coming with iOS 26.5.

However, there's more than meets the eye here. This new wallpaper is very customizable and features eleven pre-built variations. Not only that, but it also comes with a bespoke builder that lets you select what colors to be featured in the wallpaper. You can choose between one and twelve swaths of color, making this one a hidden gem for customizers.


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