The second beta of iOS 26.5 is now available And it arrives at a key moment in the iPhone cycle: with iOS 27 just around the corner and June's WWDC circled in red, this version is shaping up to be one of the last major iOS 26 updates before the next leap. It's not a groundbreaking update, but it does make Apple's priorities for the coming months quite clear.
More than for a deluge of spectacular features, iOS 26.5 beta 2 stands out for confirm which adjustments we will see soon on the iPhone And which ones are put on hold. Siri remains visibly unchanged, while Apple focuses its efforts on three very specific fronts: monetizing Apple Maps (outside of Europe), securing messages between iPhone and Android using RCS, and ensuring interoperability with third-party accessories as mandated by European regulations.
Siri stays the same: no big leap in iOS 26.5
One of the most talked-about absences iOS 26.5 beta 2 is once again about Siri. Neither this second beta nor the first has shown any trace of a new interface, advanced artificial intelligence features, or changes that suggest the "new Siri" that has been talked about for months.
In practical terms, the assistant behaves the same as in previous versions of iOS 26: There are no additional menus In Settings, no experimental options were found, nor was any significant improvement in context or screen understanding detected. Everything suggests that Apple is saving any major advancements in this area for the future. iOS 27 presentation during WWDC.
This approach fits with the company's usual pattern: when a major platform changeThe latest betas of the current version focus more on polishing, bug fixing, and preparing specific features than on introducing major new features for the user. In Spain and the rest of Europe, those hoping for improvements to Siri in Spanish will have to wait a little longer.
In summary, iOS 26.5 beta 2 makes it clear that the Siri's leading role is reserved for the next major version of the system. For now, the assistant remains the same old companion, with its limitations and its strengths, while Apple makes moves in other less flashy but very important areas.
Apple Maps is testing "Suggested Places" and ads... but not in the European Union
Where there are clear changes is in Apple Maps. In iOS 26.5 beta 2, the maps app incorporates a new section of "Suggested places" within the search engine, designed to recommend nearby points of interest based on the user's recent searches and popular sites in the area.
This feature acts as a recommendations panel that suggests restaurants, shops or other premises that are "killing it" in a specific area, similar to what other services already do. In theory, it can be useful for discovering new places without having to do a very specific search.
Along with that new feature, the beta shows a new pop-up message that anticipates the arrival of ads within MapsThe text explains that the app will be able to teach local advertising based on approximate location from the user, in the search terms or the part of the map being viewed. Apple insists that the information used for advertising is not linked to the Apple account, thus reinforcing its privacy message.
The ads would appear, based on what's been seen in the beta, at the top of search results and in the Suggested Places section, mixing organic recommendations with promoted locations. However, this entire rollout is Initially intended for the United States and CanadaAnd for now, it will stay there.
For users in Spain and the rest of the European Union, the situation is different: neither the ads in Apple Maps nor the Suggested Places section will be activated in our region for the time being, at least according to what has been detected in the current betas. The maps will continue to function as before., without ad blocks at the top of the search results.
RCS messages with end-to-end encryption: a second chance for a key function
Another major aspect of iOS 26.5 beta 2 is messaging. Apple continues to make progress with the integration of RCS (Rich Communication Services) for conversations between iPhones and Android phones, and in this beta it keeps a key component active by default: the end-to-end encryption for this type of message.
The story goes back a long way. This E2EE encryption option for RCS was already included in the iOS 26.4 betas, but Apple removed it just before the public release, without much explanation. With iOS 26.5, the feature returned in the first beta and now, in beta 2, It's still there without any prominent warnings that it may disappear at the last minute.
If it remains in the final version, chats between iPhone users and contacts with Android devices using RCS will be protected similarly to iMessageso that only the sender and recipient can read the messages. This setting is controlled from Settings > Messages, where the traditional SMS and iMessage options coexist with the new RCS features.
In practice, this security improvement puts the iOS-Android mixed messaging In terms of encryption, it's closer to services like WhatsApp, Signal, or Telegram. For those who switch between multiple platforms or have family and friends with phones from different manufacturers, this could represent a significant leap in privacy.
In the European context, where data and communications protection is particularly sensitive, this reinforcement of RCS aligns with both user expectations and the regulatory climate. It remains to be seen whether Apple will maintain this exact configuration in the stable version of iOS 26.5, but the feature's presence in several beta versions is encouraging. a sign that development is quite advanced.
Europe as an interoperability laboratory: more integrated third-party accessories
While Apple experiments with advertising on maps across the Atlantic, in the European Union the story is taking a different turn. iOS 26.5 beta 2 has become a kind of testbed to comply with the Digital Markets Act (DMA)which forces major technology players to open up their platforms more.
In this beta version, the European focus is on how the iPhone interacts with third-party accessories: headphones, smartwatches, and other wearables that don't belong to Apple's official ecosystem. The iOS 26.5 betas include trials of three key features: proximity pairing, notification forwarding and support for Live Activities on devices from other brands.
Proximity pairing allows a pop-up window to appear when you bring a compatible accessory close to your iPhone, enabling quick pairing, similar to how AirPods work today. The goal is to reduce hassle and eliminate the need for users to navigate through Bluetooth menus every time they want to set up a new device.
Notification forwarding goes a step further and opens the door to... Third-party smartwatches display iPhone notifications with a much higher level of integration than currently available. Until now, the Apple Watch had a clear advantage in this area. If these features arrive in the stable version, brands like Garmin, Samsung, or Polar could offer a much more complete experience with the iPhone.
The third component is support for Live Activities on external accessories. This would allow users to view real-time data such as [data type] on a watch or other devices. route directions, order tracking, sports results or active timers, information that today is usually limited to the iPhone screen or, at most, the Apple Watch.
It's worth remembering that Apple had already tested some of these ideas in previous betas, such as those of iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4, and removed them just before the final release. The addition of Live Activities now indicates that development has progressed, but there's no guarantee that All these functions are activated at the same time in the first public version of iOS 26.5.
Other system settings: subscriptions, performance, and developer betas
Beyond the headlines, iOS 26.5 beta 2 arrives with several subtle changes aimed at improving the overall experience and giving developers and services more leeway. These aren't features that will be advertised, but they do help shape the update as a transitional version very focused on details.
On one hand, Apple is testing new subscription structures on the App Store. Options have been detected that would allow for monthly payments for discounted annual subscriptions, provided the user agrees to a twelve-month commitment. For third-party apps that rely on subscription models, this could translate into greater flexibility and additional tools for user retention.
At a technical level, differences have also been seen between distributed builds such as OTA update and IPSW images These are used to restore or update via computer. This is relatively common during the beta cycle: Apple may use different build identifiers depending on the installation method, although for the average user the experience ends up being virtually the same.
In day-to-day use, those testing the beta have noticed minor stability improvements, some visual tweaks to specific menus, and bug fixes from the first iOS 26.5 beta and earlier versions. Nothing particularly groundbreaking, but these are the kinds of tweaks that make the system feel somewhat more polished. more stable and polished as its final release approaches.
This second beta has been initially published for registered developersUsers can install it from Settings > General > Software Update without needing additional profiles. As usual, the public beta should arrive shortly after, accessible to any user who signs up for Apple's beta software program through the official website.
As for the release schedule, everything points to the final version of iOS 26.5 arriving between the end of May and the first weeks of June, just before iOS 27 takes over at WWDC. For those who want to try it out right now, the process for installing the public beta involves... sign up for the beta programGo to the Software Update section and select the iOS beta updates as if it were any other version of the system.
With everything seen in these builds, iOS 26.5 beta 2 is shaping up to be a final update that fine-tunes what we already have and prepares the ground for what's to come: Apple postpones the major Siri overhaul, tests ads and recommendations in Maps outside of Europe, strengthens RCS message encryption between iPhone and Android, and turns the European Union into its testing ground for interoperability with third-party accessories, making it clear that the immediate future of the iPhone is as much about the code as it is about the regulators' meetings.
