Apple Seeds Second iOS 26.5 and iPadOS 26.5 Release Candidates to Developers

Apple today seeded new release candidate versions of upcoming iOS 26.5 and iPadOS 26.5 updates to developers for testing purposes, with the software coming five days after the first RC. It's not clear what's changed in the second RC,

iOS 26.5 now available: Here are all the new iPhone features

OS 26.5 has more new features and changes for iPhone users. Here's everything we know so far about the update for iPhone.
Macworld

iOS 26.5 may be small, but it hides some incredible new features

One of the most notable additions in iOS 26.5 is support for end-to-end encrypted RCS messaging in the Messages app. While it’s still technically labeled as a beta feature and limited to supported carriers, it’s the first step toward iPhone users being able to chat securely with their Android friends.
CNET

Before iOS 26.5, Here Are All the Features iOS 26.4 Brought to Your iPhone

Apple introduced two new Ambient Music widgets for your home screen with iOS 26.4. These widgets let you easily access the four Ambient Music playlists: Sleep, Chill, Productivity and Wellbeing. You can quickly turn on a relaxing playlist to unwind after a long day, or one to help you focus on the task at hand.
Mashable

iOS 26 Public Beta is expected to drop imminently. How to download and try it

iOS 26 has the potential to be a pretty cool upgrade, complete with a Liquid Glass design, live translations, and updates to CarPlay and Messages, which we heard about in early June at WWDC 2025. It looks like we're finally about to get access to it.
Android Authority

iOS 26 proves that Android still has a software update problem

This week’s iOS 26 announcement sure was an odd one, wasn’t it? Between the controversial Liquid Glass redesign and the big name jump from iOS 18 to iOS 26, this year’s iPhone update is already proving to be one of the most peculiar we’ve seen in a ...