iOS 26.5 beta contains bad news for Siri and Apple Maps — but there's a major privacy bonus for iPhone messaging

• The first iOS 26.5 beta is out now
• It includes end-to-end encryption for RCS messages between Android and iPhone
• It also lays the groundwork for the addition of ads in Apple Maps

The first iOS 26.5 beta has now landed for developers, but where most new versions of iOS are upgrades, this could almost be considered a downgrade in some ways.

Notably, it sets the scene for ads to be added to Apple Maps, with code spotted by MacRumors that reads: "Maps may show local ads based on your approximate location, current search terms, or view of the map while you search."

Thankfully, you won’t be seeing any ads yet, but Apple plans to fully implement them this summer, so they are coming soon, and many people are likely to consider that a downgrade for Apple Maps.

Still, Apple Maps does have a desirable new feature too, with a new ‘Suggested Places’ section that will recommend places you might want to visit, based on what’s trending nearby and what you’ve searched for recently.

End-to-end encryption is back

The biggest upgrade in this beta, though, is arguably the re-enabling of end-to-end encryption for RCS messages between Android and iPhone. This feature actually previously appeared in the iOS 26.4 beta, but didn’t launch with the finished version, so Apple is clearly still testing it.

It remains to be seen whether it will be ready in time for the finished iOS 26.5 release, but it’s an important upgrade that will help keep messages between these two platforms secure.

That’s the bulk of what you’ll find here, with sadly no Siri upgrades present. Siri’s upgraded AI capabilities are long overdue at this point, and recent leaks also suggested that a standalone Siri chatbot could be coming soon, but none of that is present here, so we’ll likely be waiting until iOS 27.

As for this release, we’ve got a guide covering how to download iOS developer betas, but we’d recommend most people wait for the finished version, as it will probably be a lot more stable.

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