iOS 26.5: Five new iPhone features are coming next week
iOS 26.5: Five new iPhone features are coming next week
https://9to5mac.com/2026/05/07/ios-26-5-five-new-iphone-features-are-coming-next-week/
Publish Date: 2026-05-07 11:41:00
Source Domain: 9to5mac.com
We’re just weeks away from iOS 27’s unveiling, but Apple has another iPhone update arriving first. iOS 26.5 is coming next week, here are five new features it will bring.
#1: Suggested Places in Apple Maps
Apple Maps gets a useful addition in iOS 26.5 to help you discover new places.
’Suggested Places’ is baked into the search screen inside Maps. So whenever you tap the search bar, you’ll see two recommendations you might be interested in.
Apple says these suggestions are based on “what’s trending nearby and your recent searches.”
I’ve seen a lot of great recommendations so far while using the iOS 26.5 beta, and they feel like a perfect fit for the search screen.
#2: Messages adds end-to-end encrypted RCS
RCS support came to the iPhone in iOS 18, but iOS 26.5 brings a welcome upgrade.
Apple’s Messages app now supports end-to-end encrypted RCS messaging in beta.
It’s not available on every carrier, but hopefully most carriers will quickly get on board once iOS 26.5 launches. End-to-end encryption means RCS messaging can offer some of the same security assurances that iMessage has long had.
#3: Pride Luminance brings 11+ new wallpaper options
Apple releases a new Pride wallpaper in iOS every year, but in iOS 26.5 the new Pride Luminance option offers much more than a single wallpaper.
Pride Luminance comes with 11 colorful variants you can choose from. And if that’s not enough, there’s also a custom option that lets you choose exactly which colors are featured in the wallpaper.
You can choose as few as 1 color or as many as 12 to be featured in your custom wallpaper.
#4: App Store supports new in-app subscription model
Starting with iOS 26.5, apps in most of the world will be able to start offering a new type of subscription.
Joining the standard monthly and annual options that many apps offer, the App Store will now support a new model: monthly…
