Apple has released iOS 26.5 and iPadOS 26.5, a modest but worthwhile update for iPhone with a couple of visible tweaks and the usual under-the-hood polishing. The headline additions are a new customizable wallpaper, better security when texting your Android friends, and a controversial change to Maps.
Customizable Pride wallpaper
The splashiest addition in iOS 26.5 is a new Pride Harmony wallpaper. As you’d expect, it’s a colorful new background option designed to match Apple’s latest Pride band and watch face releases. It’s also the most customizable wallpaper Apple has ever released – and they’ve released a lot – with users able to tweak each of the colors used in the bold new design to make it their own.
Apple Maps get better… and worse
Users of Apple Maps will start to notice a new Suggested Places feature showing up, using a combination of your search terms and location to throw up venue ideas and details. In some situations, this will likely be very useful, but the reason Apple isn’t making a song and dance of it is that it also marks the controversial introduction of ads to Apple Maps. Is nothing sacred anymore?
Encryption for green bubble chats
In 2024, Apple finally embraced RCS support, significantly enhancing the messaging experience between iPhone and Android users within the iOS Messages app. That service has just recieved another upgrade, with iOS 26.5 rolling out support for end-to-end encryption for these RCS messages. For now the feature is limited to a few carriers, but it’s the start of a big change.
But wait, there’s more
Parents will now get a notification when the Screen Time passcode is used on a child’s device. That means you’ll know if someone has figured out the code and is trying to dodge the limits you’ve set.
Apple also says iOS 26.5 also includes bug fixes and security updates, which is usually where the less glamorous but more important work lives. Release notes for these updates are often a bit coy, but the short version is simple: they help keep your iPhone secure and running smoothly.
How to update
To install the update, open Settings > General > Software Update and follow the prompts to download and restart your iPhone. If you have automatic updates enabled, it may update on its own when the conditions are right – but it’s quicker to trigger the update yourself.
Meanwhile, users still on older versions of iOS will find similar updates that bring the latest security patches but no new features. Head to Settings to get the latest.