Apple Seeds Third iOS 26.5 and iPadOS 26.5 Betas to Developers
Apple today seeded the third betas of upcoming iOS 26.5 and iPadOS 26.5 updates to developers for testing purposes, with the software coming a week after Apple released the second 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 Siri capabilities, suggesting any Siri updates are being held until iOS 27. The Maps app has a Suggested Places feature for recommending locations to visit nearby based on trends and recent searches, plus Apple is laying the groundwork for ads in the Apple Maps app.
Apple is continuing to test end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for RCS messages between iPhone and Android users. Apple included the feature in the iOS 26.4 beta, but removed it before the update launched to the public.
In the European Union, Apple is testing proximity pairing, notification forwarding, and Live Activities for third-party wearables like earbuds and smartwatches. The functionality will allow third-party wearables to have many of the same features as the Apple Watch and AirPods.
More detail on what's new in iOS 26.5 can be found in our iOS 26.5 beta features guide.
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The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update.
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