iOS 26.5 is here and, although it does not revolutionize the iPhone, it does bring important changes in messaging, maps, security and some details of daily use that you will notice if you talk a lot with people who use Android or use Apple Maps to get around the city. In addition, it reaches a good handful of models… but definitively leaves out several historical iPhones that are already stuck in previous versions.
What's new in iOS 26.5
Apple has officially released iOS 26.5 as a “minor” update in theory, but with several key new features under the hood. The focus is on four points: RCS message encryption, Maps changes, a new Pride background and a whole round of security patches.
In practice, you will not see a radical redesign of the interface or massive changes in system apps, but you will see small adjustments that improve privacy, navigation, personalization and stability of the iPhone.
Encrypted RCS: “green messages” level up
The big news in iOS 26.5 in Messages is the end-to-end encryption for RCSthe standard that improves SMS when you talk to Android users. Until now, these green chats were “bareback”: without encryption, more exposed to possible interceptions.
With iOS 26.5, Apple activates the RCS encryption in betacurrently only with compatible operators, and protected messages will appear with a lock icon in the conversation, so you know when you are truly encrypted and when you are not. The function will be deployed little by little, and it is still RCS (green bubble), but with a security layer very similar to the one you already had in iMessage.
Maps: ads, suggested sites and some controversy
The other visible change is in Apple Maps. With iOS 26.5 they arrive for the first time ads within the appin addition to a section of “Suggested Places” that recommends nearby places based on where you are and what you've searched for lately.
These ads will be local and will be based on your approximate location and your queries, something very similar to what already happens in the App Store, but now applied to Maps. Apple insists that this advertising data is not linked to your Apple account, but it is an important change: Apple Maps goes from being “clean” to including sponsored spaces alongside organic recommendations.
Other changes that also add
In addition to encrypted RCS and Maps, iOS 26.5 brings several details that can make your life a little easier:
- New “Pride Luminance” background: An animated wallpaper with 12 customizable colors, designed to coordinate with the new Pride face in watchOS 26.5.
- Pair accessories via USB-C– Now you can directly connect a Magic Mouse or Magic Keyboard to iPhone via USB-C, pair them, and then continue using them via Bluetooth without any further complications.
- Migrate to Android with more control: If you switch from iPhone to Android, iOS 26.5 lets you choose which message attachments you want to take and which ones you don't, instead of copying everything “roughly.”
And, underneath all that, 9to5Mac and other media remember that Apple has taken the opportunity to correct more than 50 security flaws in this version alonesomething that makes it highly recommended to update even if you are not that interested in new functions.
Which iPhone can be updated to iOS 26.5
Here comes the part that many more care about: is iOS 26.5 coming to your iPhone or not? The short answer: If your mobile could already install iOS 26, it can also install iOS 26.5.
iOS 26 (and by extension iOS 26.5) can be installed on:
- the whole family iPhone 17 (17, 17 Pro, 17 Pro Max, 17e).
- the whole family iPhone 16 (16, 16 Plus, 16e, 16 Pro, 16 Pro Max).
- iPhone 15, 15 Plus, 15 Pro, 15 Pro Max.
- iPhone 14, 14 Plus, 14 Pro, 14 Pro Max.
- iPhone 13, 13 mini, 13 Pro, 13 Pro Max.
- iPhone 12, 12 mini, 12 Pro, 12 Pro Max.
- iPhone 11, 11 Pro, 11 Pro Max.
- iPhone SE (2nd and 3rd generation).
Apple summarizes this on its own page. iOS 26: The system is compatible from iPhone 11 onwards and with SE from the second generation.
Which models are definitely left out?
The downside is that several iPhones have not already made the leap to iOS 26, so they will not see iOS 26.5 either. iOS 18 was the last major version for the iPhone XS, XS Max and XRwhich join a list of models that have not received new versions of the system for some time.
Among those who They cannot update to iOS 26 or iOS 26.5 are:
- iPhone XS
- iPhone XS Max
- iPhone XR
- iPhone X
- iPhone 8 and 8 Plus
- iPhone 7 and 7 Plus
- iPhone SE (1st generation)
- iPhone 6s, 6s Plus, 6, 6 Plus
- iPhone 5s and earlier
Of course, Apple itself usually maintains security patches for a while for these devices, although they no longer receive new functions, so they are not completely abandoned from one day to the next.
Is it worth updating?
If your iPhone is compatible, the most sensible answer is that yes, iOS 26.5 is worth installing. It is not a version that changes the experience like the jump to iOS 26 did, but the combo of encrypted RCS, improvements in Maps, small usability adjustments and a good package of security fixes make it a recommended update.
On the other hand, you have a more recent model (series 15, 16 or 17), and it is also the way to prepare the ground for everything that Apple plans to build on top of it with Apple Intelligence and the following versions of the system. And if you are on an iPhone 11, 12 or 13, it is another sign that Apple continues to extend the useful life of these devices with modern functions… although some more advanced AI things, as several compatibility guides remind us, are reserved for models with newer chips.
