Everything New in Apple's 26.5 Betas: RCS Encryption, Maps Changes, and EU Interoperability

Apple's 26.5 Beta 1 brings RCS end-to-end encryption, Suggested Places in Apple Maps, EU accessory features, and more across iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, tvOS, and visionOS.

Apple has kicked off the 26.5 beta cycle across all platforms, seeding the first developer betas for iOS, iPadOS, macOS Tahoe, watchOS, tvOS, and visionOS just one week after the 26.4 updates shipped to the public. If you were hoping to finally see the revamped Siri with Gemini-powered features, you'll need to keep waiting — those are now expected with iOS 27 at WWDC in June. But 26.5 still has plenty worth tracking, with meaningful additions in Apple Maps, Messages, EU interoperability, and more.

Developer Beta 1 is available now for registered Apple developers across all platforms. A public beta is expected within a few days. Apple historically releases x.5 updates to the public in May, making this likely the last release in the iOS 26 cycle with notable feature additions before WWDC shifts everyone's focus to what's next.

This article will be updated with each new beta as the cycle progresses. Here's everything found so far.

iOS 26.5 Beta 1 (Build 23F5043g)

Suggested Places in Apple Maps

Apple Maps is getting a new discovery feature called Suggested Places. When you tap into the Maps search bar, you'll now see a curated list of location recommendations based on what's trending nearby and your recent searches. It's similar to how other mapping apps surface popular spots without requiring you to type anything first, and it makes Maps feel more proactive as a starting point for getting out and exploring.

Ads Are Coming to Apple Maps This Summer

iOS 26.5 lays the technical groundwork for advertising in Apple Maps, which Apple confirmed is coming this summer. Businesses will be able to purchase placement in Maps search results and in the new Suggested Places feed. Code discovered in the beta includes the disclosure that Maps may show local ads based on your approximate location, current search terms, or your current view of the map while you search.

Ads will be clearly labeled so they're distinguishable from organic results. This is a significant shift for a product that Apple has long kept ad-free, but the feature isn't live in beta yet, this release just puts the plumbing in place.

RCS End-to-End Encryption

End-to-end encryption for RCS messages between iPhone and Android is back in testing after being pulled from iOS 26.4 before its public release. With iOS 26.5, Apple has re-enabled E2EE for RCS, and the release notes no longer include the earlier caveat that the feature wasn't ready for general availability.

There's a toggle for End-to-End Encryption in Settings under Messages, and it's enabled by default. When active, cross-platform conversations between iPhone and Android users are encrypted end-to-end, meaning they can't be intercepted or read by a third party. Whether this makes it to the final public release is still an open question, but its return in Beta 1 is a good sign.

To confirm the setting: go to Settings > Apps > Messages and look for the End-to-End Encryption toggle under the RCS section.

EU Third-Party Wearable Interoperability

Apple continues building out its Digital Markets Act compliance with expanded interoperability features for third-party accessories in the European Union. iOS 26.5 Beta 1 introduces a new addition to the features that have been in testing since iOS 26.3: Live Activities support for third-party accessories.

Here's the full picture of what's being tested for EU users:

Proximity pairing brings AirPods-style setup to third-party earbuds and accessories. Bring a compatible device close to your iPhone and a one-tap pairing prompt appears, no digging through Bluetooth menus required.

Notification forwarding lets compatible third-party smartwatches receive and display iPhone notifications, including the ability to react to them. Only one connected device can receive forwarded notifications at a time, so enabling this for a third-party watch disables notification mirroring on Apple Watch.

Live Activities can now sync to third-party wearables as well, a capability new to iOS 26.5. This means compatible accessories could display things like sports scores, delivery ETAs, or navigation progress in real time.

It's worth noting that Apple has tested proximity pairing and notification forwarding in iOS 26.3 and 26.4 betas before quietly removing them before each public release. Whether this round makes it to shipping software remains to be seen.

Magic Accessory Auto-Pairing via USB-C

A small but handy workflow improvement: when you connect a Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse, or Magic Trackpad to your iPhone via USB-C, iOS 26.5 will automatically maintain the Bluetooth connection with that accessory. Previously, plugging in a USB-C cable didn't establish a persistent wireless relationship. This makes it easier to use Apple accessories with iPhone in a desktop-style setup without extra steps.

New App Store Subscription Billing Option

iOS 26.5 introduces a new billing plan configuration for App Store subscriptions. The addition is a monthly-with-12-month-commitment plan, which lets users pay on a monthly basis while locking in a year-long subscription. This gives developers and users a middle ground between paying month-to-month with full flexibility and paying a full year upfront. More details are expected in upcoming betas and developer documentation.

If you're switching from iPhone to Android, iOS 26.5 adds more granularity to what gets transferred. A new setting during the migration flow lets you choose how far back your message attachments come along: None, 30 days, 1 year, or All. This is a small but practical addition for anyone making the switch and wanting more control over their data.

Apple Books Year in Review

Apple Books is getting a 2026 Year in Review feature. Code found in the beta points to a system of titles and medals tied to reading habits, with labels like The Loyal Reader, Reading Royalty, and The Power Reader among the discovered strings. This appears to be a late-year feature being built now that likely won't go live until the end of 2026.

Inuktitut Keyboard Layout

iOS 26.5 adds a new Inuktitut keyboard layout, expanding Apple's language support for Indigenous Canadian languages. Inuktitut is spoken primarily in Nunavut and other northern regions of Canada.

iPadOS 26.5 Beta 1 (Build 23F5043g)

iPadOS 26.5 Beta 1 shares the same build number as iOS 26.5 and carries over all of the features listed above, including Suggested Places in Maps, the Maps ads infrastructure, RCS end-to-end encryption, the EU interoperability features, Magic Accessory auto-pairing, the new App Store subscription billing option, the iPhone to Android transfer improvements, Apple Books Year in Review, and the Inuktitut keyboard layout. No iPad-specific changes have been identified in Beta 1 beyond what's shared with iPhone.

macOS Tahoe 26.5 Beta 1 (Build 25F5042g)

macOS Tahoe 26.5 Beta 1 arrives alongside the iOS and iPadOS betas, carrying over the same Maps, RCS, EU interoperability, and App Store changes. The Mac-specific build number is 25F5042g. No macOS-exclusive features have been confirmed in Beta 1 beyond what's shared across platforms.

To install: open System Settings, select General, then Software Update, and enable Beta Updates using a free Apple Developer account.

watchOS 26.5 Beta 1 (Build 23T5541h)

watchOS 26.5 Beta 1 is available for developer testing, arriving a week after watchOS 26.4 shipped publicly. No user-facing changes have been identified in this first beta. watchOS updates at the .x.5 stage typically focus on bug fixes and performance improvements, with any notable feature additions more likely to surface in later betas.

To install: open the Watch app on your iPhone, tap General, then Software Update, and select the watchOS Developer Beta.

tvOS 26.5 Beta 1 (Build 23L5443g)

tvOS 26.5 Beta 1 is available to developers. As with watchOS, no user-facing changes have been confirmed in this first beta. Apple will likely open tvOS 26.5 to public beta testers in April.

To install: open Settings on your Apple TV, navigate to System, then Software Updates, and enable beta updates with a developer account.

visionOS 26.5 Beta 1 (Build 23O5441g)

visionOS 26.5 Beta 1 is seeded to developers only. No user-facing changes have been found in this first beta. Unlike the other platforms, visionOS betas are not made available through the public beta program and will remain developer-only throughout the cycle.

Developer Beta 1 is available now across all platforms for registered Apple developers. Public betas for iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS are expected within the next few days.