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Apple released a release candidate for iOS 26.5, expected to launch this week. The update will include features like RCS messages with encryption, Suggested Places in Apple Maps, and new Pride Edition wallpapers
iPhone 17While rumours around Apple's latest big update, iOS 27, are flying fast and loose, the company last week released a new release candidate (RC) for iOS 26.5 and iPadOS 26.5. As you may understand from the RC label, the update is currently only available to developers and public beta testers but is expected to be rolled out to the general public soon as well.
iOS 26.5 release date:
The stable version of iOS 26.5 is expected to be released this week. We do not currently have a confirmed release date for the update, but the new update could potentially arrive today, i.e. Monday.
iOS 26.5 features:
Apple's big Siri features and any other AI features that you may be expecting will most likely not be arriving with iOS 26.5. Instead, these features are expected to come with the iOS 27 update that will be unveiled at WWDC in June and arrive with the new iPhones in September.
However, the update is likely to come with three major updates:
RCS messages:
Apple first added end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for RCS messages between iPhone and Android during the iOS 26.4 beta update. However, the feature was removed during the stable build of the update.
The feature is expected to be limited to supported carriers at launch and could roll out in a phased manner.
The presence of E2EE encryption means that messages between supported iOS and Android devices are secured in a way that only the sender and recipient can read them and cannot be read by any other third party, including Apple.
Suggested Places:
Apple is also expected to add a new Suggested Places feature with iOS 26.5 that will provide recommendations to users based on their location and recent search history.
This feature will coincide with ads coming to Apple Maps. The company has already confirmed that ads are coming to Apple Maps and it is likely that they could begin with the iOS 26.5 update.
With the new update, Apple will allow companies in the US and Canada to place their ads in the search results and at the top of the Suggested Places section.
"Ads on Maps will appear when users search in Maps, and can appear at the top of a user's search results based on relevance, as well as at the top of a new Suggested Places experience in Maps, which will display recommendations based on what's trending nearby, the user's recent searches, and more," Apple said earlier this year.
New wallpapers:
Apple will release a Pride Edition wallpaper for iPhone with the iOS 26.5 update, which will "dynamically refract a spectrum of colours". The wallpaper includes a selection of curated colour combinations that can match well with Liquid Glass. Users will also be able to select 12 different colours from a total of 75 colours to create their own personalised theme.
About the Author
Aman Gupta
Aman Gupta is a Digital Content Producer at LiveMint with over 3.5 years of experience covering the technology landscape. He specializes in artificial intelligence and consumer technology, reporting on everything from the ethical debates around AI models to shifts in the smartphone market. <br> His reporting is grounded in first-hand testing, independent analysis, and a focus on how technology impacts everyday users. He holds a PG Diploma in Radio and Television Journalism from the Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Delhi (Class of 2022). <br> Outside the newsroom, he spends his time reading biographies, hunting for the perfect coffee beans, or planning his next trip. <br><br> You can find Aman on <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/aman-gupta-894180214">LinkedIn</a> and on X at <a href="https://x.com/nobugsfound">@nobugsfound</a>, or reach him via email at <a href="aman.gupta@htdigital.in">aman.gupta@htdigital.in</a>.
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