Overview
- Apple seeded Release Candidate builds on Monday to developers and public beta testers, a step that typically precedes a wide rollout the following week unless new bugs appear.
- iOS 26.5 adds end-to-end encrypted RCS messaging in Messages as a beta feature that works only with supported carriers and will expand over time, with Apple set to publish a list of participating operators.
- 'Suggested Places' in Apple Maps now surfaces nearby recommendations and lays groundwork for labeled local ads in the U.S. and Canada this summer, with Apple saying ad targeting will not link to Apple accounts.
- In the EU, Apple is testing interoperability features for third‑party wearables—such as proximity pairing, notification forwarding, and Live Activities—to meet Digital Markets Act requirements.
- Apple says its RCS encryption follows the GSMA’s Universal Profile 3.0 and uses the Messaging Layer Security protocol, bringing stronger privacy to iPhone–Android texts when both sides use supported carriers.