Apple released iOS 26.5 on May 11, 2026, exactly 48 days after iOS 26.4 debuted. The update is not a massive overhaul, but it brings three things Apple officially highlighted: end-to-end encrypted RCS messaging (in beta), a new Suggested Places section in Apple Maps, and a customisable Pride Luminance wallpaper. Alongside those, there are more than 50 security fixes and a handful of smaller quality-of-life changes across the system.
This guide covers everything: what’s new, which iPhones support it, and which features are available across different regions.
What is new in iOS 26.5
1. End-to-End Encrypted RCS Messaging (Beta)
This is the biggest change in iOS 26.5. When you send a message to someone on Android, it usually goes as an RCS message (if both carriers support it) or plain SMS. Either way, the conversation has not been encrypted end-to-end until now.
