Apple Releases Second iOS 26.5, iPadOS 26.5, tvOS 26.5 and watchOS 26.5 Public Betas - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Apple Releases Second iOS 26.5, iPadOS 26.5, tvOS 26.5 and watchOS 26.5 Public Betas

by

Apple today provided public beta testers with the second releases of upcoming iOS 26.5, iPadOS 26.5, watchOS 26.5, and tvOS 26.5 updates for testing purposes. The public betas come a day after Apple provided the betas to developers.

iOS 26
After signing up for beta testing on Apple's beta site, public beta testers can download the updates using the Software Update section of the Settings app on each device.

iOS 26.5 and iPadOS 26.5 include a new Suggested Places feature for recommending nearby locations to visit, and Apple is also gearing up to start showing ads in Maps.

Apple is testing end-to-end encryption for RCS messages between iPhone and Android users again, and there are proximity pairing, notification forwarding, and Live Activities for third-party wearables in the EU.

Related Roundups: iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS Tahoe
Related Forums: iOS 26, macOS Tahoe

Popular Stories

iOS 26

Here's What's New in iOS 26.5 So Far

Tuesday April 21, 2026 1:30 pm PDT by
iOS 26.5 has been in beta since late March, with a third beta released this week. The update is relatively minor so far, which is not too surprising given that Apple is starting to shift its focus towards iOS 27. Apple will unveil iOS 27 during its WWDC 2026 keynote on June 8, and the update should be released in September. iOS 26.5 lays the groundwork for two changes, including end-to-end...
Read Full Article • 46 comments
iOS 26

Apple Seeds Second iOS 26.5 and iPadOS 26.5 Betas to Developers

Monday April 13, 2026 10:08 am PDT by
Apple today seeded the second betas of upcoming iOS 26.5 and iPadOS 26.5 updates to developers for testing purposes, with the software coming two weeks after Apple released updated first betas. Registered developers can download the betas from the Settings app on the iPhone or iPad by going to the General section and selecting Software Update. iOS 26.5 and iPadOS 26.5 do not include new...
Read Full Article • 28 comments
ios 26 2 ads maps app

Apple Maps Ads Move Closer to Launch With iOS 26.5 Beta 2

Monday April 13, 2026 11:09 am PDT by
With the second beta of iOS 26.5, Apple is continuing to prepare for ads in the Apple Maps app. There's a new splash screen in the app that says it will display ads based on approximate location, current search terms, or a view of the map when searching. Ads will also be shown in the "Suggested Places" section that was added in the first beta. Apple says that advertising information is not...
Read Full Article • 233 comments

Top Rated Comments

N
NicosAccount
4 weeks ago

Apple is not marketing the 'feature' to users, but you can be sure they are marketing it to their real customers, advertisers.

The clear and increasing desperation of advertisers to scream "Buy, Buy, Buy!" at every opportunity is not a sign of a sound economy.
Idk about increasing, everything gets ads eventually, publicly traded companies only care about increasing profits as much as possible. Everything they claim to be about serves the only purpose of getting more money. When it stops making them money, theyll just drop whatever idea/value theyve been about. Disclaimer: I hate ads and been using adblockers since ive been on the internet.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
exodiusprime Avatar
exodiusprime
4 weeks ago

does 26.5 add anything other than ads in Apple Maps?
What a time to be alive when "Ads" are a touted feature 🫠🫠🫠
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
X
xmarcuswildx
4 weeks ago

does 26.5 add anything other than ads in Apple Maps?
Nope.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
What_Is_George Avatar
What_Is_George
4 weeks ago
does 26.5 add anything other than ads in Apple Maps?
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Powerbooky Avatar
Powerbooky
4 weeks ago

Not sure it adds anything significant, however, it may create some issues with using Mail clients. I am seeing issues with Mail and Outlook since updating some of my Macs, and it's consistent across all the ones I updated.
And those issues are? I mean the Outlook application in itself is already a mess and should be abandoned by any business.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
M
MistrSynistr
4 weeks ago
I wonder if the creator of WIPR can make something built in for all Apple Apps. Works excellent with YouTube ads (none ever) and everything else.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments