April 6 update. This post, first published on Saturday, April 4, has been updated with more details about the upcoming software update.
The next major iPhone software update will be iOS 26.5, unless there’s a minor bug-squishing release or an update for background security improvements in the meantime. Here’s when it’s expected to arrive, along with a major feature that can’t come soon enough. And while that’s not the all-new Siri that’s eagerly awaited, it’s still an important update. More about that below.
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Apple iOS 26.5 Release Date Latest Prediction
Earlier in the iOS 26 cycle there were some anomalies. Some updates came later than expected and the removal of the iOS 18 signing box for recent phones happened earlier than predicted. That said, Apple has just made the latest version, iOS 18.7.7, available to millions more users: full details on that can be found here.
But things seem to have settled down. Part of the reason for the changes appears to have been the new AI Siri, which now looks like it won’t arrive until iOS 27. More about that in a moment.
This means that Apple may have been able to speed up development to keep everything in line with previous years’ schedule. In those years the .5 was released in May, usually on the second or third Monday.
Since Apple seems to be sticking to regular releases, this suggests that iOS will be released on or around Monday, May 11. That’s my best guess, although it’s possible later that week, or even Monday, May 18, could also be in the picture.
Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max
David Phelan
The game changer: secure messaging for RCS
Based on the initial developer and public betas, it appears that Apple has a range of new capabilities planned. But one feature in the early beta builds stands out: end-to-end encryption for messages coming and going to Android phones using RCS messages. This has been planned for a while and could be postponed again, but iOS 26.5 seems likely.
You can read the full details here, but it’s a game changer because messages from Android phones will suddenly be as secure as those from iPhones.
By the way, if you thought this could end the standoff between green and blue bubbles in iMessage, think again. Apple will almost certainly keep messages from Android phones green; they will just be more secure and include more features.
iOS 26.5: other new features
These include changes coming to Apple Maps. At the top of the list is a Suggested Places feature that can offer restaurants and other places for you to visit, based on your search history or linked to your current location. Tap the search bar in the app and these suggestions will appear.
Maps will also include ads for the first time, something Apple confirmed in a Newsroom post in March. Businesses in the US and Canada will be able to “place local ads in Maps during key search and discovery moments,” the report said. This is part of Apple Business, which goes live on April 14, so expect the ads to appear any time after the new software arrives.
As usual, security and privacy come first. “A user’s location and the ads they see and interact with in Maps are not associated with a user’s Apple account. Personal information remains on a user’s device and is not collected or stored by Apple, and is not shared with third parties,” Apple said.
Additionally, there will be some changes for iPhone users in the EU that won’t apply elsewhere. It means that third-party accessories can receive and display Live Activities, something that hasn’t been supported until now. Similarly, Apple is testing notifications and proximity pairing for non-Apple accessories, such as smartwatches. There will also be seamless switching between audio and third-party devices, although it’s not yet clear whether this and proximity pairing will be ready for implementation in iOS 26.5.
The missing major update: no new Siri
Although it was predicted to arrive in iOS 26.4, the all-new Apple Intelligence-revamped Siri still hasn’t arrived. While there is an outside chance that it will end up in a later beta version of iOS 26.5, I’m sure that won’t be the case.
After all, there’s only two months until WWDC where Apple will announce major upgrades next fall, and since the company hasn’t committed to the new Siri until sometime in 2026, it seems much more logical to hold it until iOS 27 so that there can be a lot of buzz in June ahead of a fall release.
When it does, it will likely be an even bigger game-changer. But for now, the prospect of secure messaging is attractive.
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This article was originally published on Forbes.com
