iOS 26.5 Is Now Available With 6 Cool New Features

After a month of beta testing, Apple is now rolling out iOS 26.5 to everyone. While this update doesn't bring the long awaited all-new Siri with Gemini support, which is now expected to be unveiled during the WWDC 2026 keynote, Apple still has a few interesting upgrades for users, such as end-to-end RCS encryption and improvements to Apple Maps and the App Store.

Compared to iOS 26.4, which was an update full of useful and hidden features, iOS 26.5 still has plenty to offer iPhone users, as Apple continues to build upon one of the biggest evolutions to the mobile software since the release of iOS 7 almost 13 years ago.

While Apple continues to improve the Liquid Glass design and bring tweaks and security updates to the iPhone, there are also a number of major features now available as part of iOS 26.5 that you can get on your iPhone as soon as you hit the "Update" button.

Apple started testing end-to-end RCS encryption in late February. At the time, the company said this feature wouldn't arrive with the release of iOS 26.4. The feature is now available in beta, making texts between iPhone and Android users even more secure. Once you update to iOS 26.5, you'll see that conversations with Android users on compatible carriers will be labeled as encrypted, which means they can't be read while they're sent between devices.

Apple has a long and complicated history with RCS. Apple's outgoing CEO Tim Cook once even went as far as to say to an attendant of the 2022 Code Conference that they should buy their mom an iPhone rather than wait for a better texting integration between iPhone and Android. Much has changed in the intervening years.

In 2023, for example, the company announced that it would support RCS the following year, and iOS 18 in fact added support for this new standard. This significantly improved compatibility between iOS and Android devices, including support for photos, videos, and reactions. Now, Apple is making these conversations more secure by offering proper end-to-end encryption.

In March, Apple announced that Apple Maps would undergo a major change by featuring ads inside the app. While the company also revamped its ad service to make it easier for developers, companies, and more to promote their apps and businesses on Apple's platforms, the company is also introducing a cool new feature to Maps with Suggested Places. This feature suggests recommendations based on what's happening nearby, in addition to the user's recent searches, and, of course, ads.

While this will grow Apple's ad business, it also helps the app more readily compete with Google Maps. However, while Apple is finally being more proactive about suggesting places for users to go, Google recently also updated its maps experience by adding Gemini, as the personal assistant can now suggest places based on user recommendations, create special routes, and improve car navigation with easier-to-understand signaling.

While it's unclear if the new Siri might bring something similar to Apple Maps once it's revealed, it's clear that Apple still has catching up to do. iOS 26 did introduce important features for Apple Maps, but the app still isn't quite as capable as Google's alternative.

With iOS 26.5, Apple will introduce a new way for developers to offer subscriptions. According to iOS 26.5 beta release notes, developers can now sell an annual subscription that charges monthly. With this new method, if a monthly subscription for an app costs $12.99 and a yearly subscription costs $100, then you could pay $100 over 12 months while still committing to a year.

This allows Apple to help developers push subscriptions at a more affordable price to customers. According to the release notes, developers will be able to specify the billing plan type that has a "monthly with 12-month commitment billing plan configuration" for users.

While it's unclear if Apple will change how it offers yearly subscriptions altogether or just offer this as an additional option, it's important to note that you'd be committed to paying this subscription for 12 months or potentially paying it off all at once if you try to cancel the subscription. Still, this solution makes subscriptions more enticing, as not everybody is willing or able to pay a bunch for a single subscription upfront.

Another cool feature included in iOS 26.5 is the ability to pair a Magic Keyboard, Magic Trackpad, or Magic Mouse to an iPhone or iPad more easily. Users just need to connect these accessories via USB-C and they will remain connected wirelessly for as long as you're using them.

Additionally, the company announced new customizable wallpapers as part of its 2026 Pride Collection. While the new Sport Loop Pride Edition reflects the "unique identities that shape LGBTQ+ communities worldwide," the new wallpapers offer a "complementary joyful and dynamic design" with customizable colors. It's important to note that these wallpapers are possible due to the revamped Background Settings introduced in iOS 26.4 in March, which splits wallpapers based on different collections.

The sixth feature introduced in iOS 26.5 is a new set of data transfer options from iPhone to Android. Apple and Google recently improved this integration as part of iOS 26.4, and it's now expanding even further by giving users the ability to transfer a specific time range of message attachments, including a year, 30 days, or every message attachment on the device.

In addition to these six cool features, big changes are also coming for European Union and Brazilian users in iOS 26.5. For example, in the EU, as Apple continues to comply with the Digital Markets Act, it will allow third-party smartwatches to receive notifications and let users interact with them, just like they can on an Apple Watch. AirPods-like pairing is also coming to third-party smartwatches and headphones, as the company is being told to offer additional APIs to developers.

In Brazil, Apple will have to allow third-party marketplaces on the iPhone. While it's unclear if the company will apply the same rules that were established in the European Union, Brazilian blog iHelpBR says that code found in iOS 26.5 RC shows the company is readying support for this change. 

Since Apple needs to comply with the decision of a local watchdog, it means Brazilians will be able to download apps from outside the App Store. At the moment, it's unclear if Apple will implement other similar changes as we've seen in the EU in Brazil. However, it shows that governments are continuing to challenge Apple's stranglehold on the mobile software market.