Apple has seeded the first developer betas of iOS 26.5, iPadOS 26.5, macOS Tahoe 26.5, watchOS 26.5, tvOS 26.5, and visionOS 26.5 today, just six days after the public release of the 26.4 updates. The betas are available to registered developers now, with public betas expected to follow in the next week or two.
How to Install the Developer Beta
Registered developers can download the betas through the Settings app on each device. On iPhone and iPad, go to Settings → General → Software Update and make sure Beta Updates are enabled. The process is the same on Apple Watch and Apple TV. On Mac, open System Settings → General → Software Update. A free Apple developer account is required. If you’re not a developer, it’s worth waiting for the public beta, which should arrive in approximately one to two weeks.
What’s Expected in 26.5
Apple has not detailed the feature set for 26.5 yet, and the first beta rarely includes release notes. However, based on reporting ahead of the release, a few things are on the radar:
- Apple Intelligence / Siri upgrades — The revamped, more capable Siri that Apple originally planned for iOS 26.4 was pushed back due to development issues. Some of those features may appear in 26.5, though the latest reporting suggests the most significant changes are now being held for iOS 27 at WWDC in June.
- End-to-end encrypted RCS messages — Apple has been planning to add E2E encryption to RCS messaging, and 26.5 is a candidate for this feature.
- Third-party wearable support (EU) — Apple has been preparing notification forwarding and proximity pairing for third-party wearables in the European Union as part of ongoing regulatory compliance.
- Bug fixes and performance improvements — As with any point release, stability improvements across all platforms are expected. watchOS, tvOS, and visionOS in particular tend to focus primarily on fixes rather than new features.
All Platforms Updated
Today’s beta drop covers every active Apple platform simultaneously:
- iOS 26.5 (23F5043g) — iPhone 11 and later
- iPadOS 26.5 (23F5043g) — all iPads that support iPadOS 26
- macOS Tahoe 26.5 (25F5042g) — all Macs that support macOS Tahoe
- watchOS 26.5 (23T5541h) — public beta expected in April
- tvOS 26.5 (23L5443g) — public beta expected in April
- visionOS 26.5 (23O5441g) — developer-only, no public beta planned
What to Expect Next
Apple typically runs three to five developer betas before releasing a public beta, then a Release Candidate ahead of the final public release. Based on Apple’s historical cadence for x.5 updates, a public release of iOS 26.5 is likely in late April or May — ahead of WWDC 2026, which is scheduled for June 8–12.
The big question hanging over 26.5 is Siri. Apple has been promising a significantly smarter, more personal Siri for over a year — originally targeting iOS 26.4, then pushed back again. Whether any of those capabilities surface in the first few betas will be the story to watch. We’ll update this article as features are discovered. For context on what Apple has planned for the bigger picture, see our WWDC 2026 preview and our iOS 26.4 roundup.
