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Apple Releases First iOS 26.5, iPadOS 26.5 and macOS Tahoe 26.5 Public Betas

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Apple today provided public beta testers with the first releases of upcoming iOS 26.5, iPadOS 26.5, macOS Tahoe 26.5, watchOS 26.5, and tvOS 26.5 updates for testing purposes. The public betas come four days after Apple provided the betas to developers, though Apple seeded updated iOS 26.5 and iPadOS 26.5 betas to developers earlier today.

macOS-Tahoe-26-Thumb.jpg

After signing up for beta testing on Apple's beta site, public beta testers can download the updates using the Software Update section of the Settings app on each device.

iOS 26.5, iPadOS 26.5, and macOS Tahoe 26.5 include a new Suggested Places feature for recommending nearby locations to visit, and Apple is also gearing up to start showing ads in Maps.

Apple is testing end-to-end encryption for RCS messages between iPhone and Android users again, and there are proximity pairing, notification forwarding, and Live Activities for third-party wearables in the EU.

Article Link: Apple Releases First iOS 26.5, iPadOS 26.5 and macOS Tahoe 26.5 Public Betas
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2026/04/03/apple-first-ios-26-5-public-beta/
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the ios and ipados have slightly different builds to the first developer ones: 23F5043k

the first developer ones were 23F5043g

apple have also called the new builds “v2” rather than “beta 2”
 
Last edited:
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WarmWinterHat said:
I don't feel duped. What am I waiting for?
Click to expand...
The Siri features excerpted below from Apple’s Oct 2024 press release below have still not shipped:

“In the months to come, Priority Notifications will surface what’s most important, and Siri will become even more capable, with the ability to draw on a user’s personal context to deliver intelligence that’s tailored to them. Siri will also gain onscreen awareness, as well as be able to take hundreds of new actions in and across Apple and third-party apps.”

www.apple.com

Apple Intelligence is available today on iPhone, iPad, and Mac

Through a free software update available today, iPhone, iPad, and Mac users can access the first set of Apple Intelligence features.
www.apple.com

As noted below, onscreen awareness is now being teased for iOS 27, instead of 18.x:

www.macrumors.com

10+ New Features Coming in iOS 27

We're only three months away from Apple's WWDC 2026 event, which will see the company unveil iOS 27. With the fully revamped version of Siri possibly delayed until September, iOS 27 is shaping up to be the update we wanted iOS 26 to be. There will be new Apple Intelligence features, updates for...
www.macrumors.com www.macrumors.com
 
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maika1305 said:
Doesn't change the fact that 26.4 and 26.5 updates are boring asf
Click to expand...
X.4 and X.5 releases are supposed to be boring bug fix and security updates. Apple has gotten in the bad habit of shipping "features" in the middle of the release cycle because the "features" are not ready for the main release even by Apple's declining standards.

Their devotion to a yearly release cycle is not a good thing. Note that some Linux distributions are running into the same problem. Mint is debating dropping their every six month point release cycle.

The operating systems are stable. The panic is driven by Marketing who fears being "stale" or "dated." That's always the complaint about Debian. There is admittedly a certain amount of updating needed for new hardware, but that is device drivers, not the whole operating system.

The standard needs to paraphrase Orson Wells, "We will release no operating system before its time." Marketing needs to be second in line behind Sirius Cybernetics for a place at the wall.
 
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Wizec said:
The Siri features excerpted below from Apple’s Oct 2024 press release below have still not shipped:

“In the months to come, Priority Notifications will surface what’s most important, and Siri will become even more capable, with the ability to draw on a user’s personal context to deliver intelligence that’s tailored to them. Siri will also gain onscreen awareness, as well as be able to take hundreds of new actions in and across Apple and third-party apps.”

www.apple.com

Apple Intelligence is available today on iPhone, iPad, and Mac

Through a free software update available today, iPhone, iPad, and Mac users can access the first set of Apple Intelligence features.
www.apple.com

As noted below, onscreen awareness is now being teased for iOS 27, instead of 18.x:

www.macrumors.com

10+ New Features Coming in iOS 27

We're only three months away from Apple's WWDC 2026 event, which will see the company unveil iOS 27. With the fully revamped version of Siri possibly delayed until September, iOS 27 is shaping up to be the update we wanted iOS 26 to be. There will be new Apple Intelligence features, updates for...
www.macrumors.com www.macrumors.com
Click to expand...

Ah, that again.

I guess some are. I keep all that disabled.
 
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tywebb13 said:
the ios and ipados have slightly different builds to the first developer ones: 23F5043k

the first developer ones were 23F5043g

apple have also called the new builds “v2” rather than “beta 2”
Click to expand...
It's not a new beta. It's the same build recompiled, hence version 2
 
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Does anyone know if macOS 26.5 fix the bug in 26.4 that stops custom icons from displaying in the Finder on Intel Macs?
 
They need to fix the watch hardware. It takes FOREVER to update: I updated my ATV then after that my iPad and the damn watch still isn’t done. And in the meantime it hijacks my phone so I can’t do anything.

Oh and they need to overhaul the installation progress bar and time because it is wrong and makes no sense.
 
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Black Belt said:
They need to fix the watch hardware. It takes FOREVER to update: I updated my ATV then after that my iPad and the damn watch still isn’t done. And in the meantime it hijacks my phone so I can’t do anything.
Click to expand...
Trick I picked up on these forums several months ago and it works: Turn off bluetooth on the watch and make sure it is connected to wifi. DL the software directly from the watch. It is much faster without needing to go through the phone first.
 
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Black Belt said:
They need to fix the watch hardware. It takes FOREVER to update: I updated my ATV then after that my iPad and the damn watch still isn’t done. And in the meantime it hijacks my phone so I can’t do anything.

Oh and they need to overhaul the installation progress bar and time because it is wrong and makes no sense.
Click to expand...

Kick off the Watch update from the Watch directly after disabling the Watch's bluetooth connection. Remember to turn it back on again later.
 
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So other than bug fixes, the only new feature of this update is preparation for ads? Why do we need an entire release for that? Am I missing something?
 
Siliconguy said:
X.4 and X.5 releases are supposed to be boring bug fix and security updates. Apple has gotten in the bad habit of shipping "features" in the middle of the release cycle because the "features" are not ready for the main release even by Apple's declining standards.

Their devotion to a yearly release cycle is not a good thing. Note that some Linux distributions are running into the same problem. Mint is debating dropping their every six month point release cycle.

The operating systems are stable. The panic is driven by Marketing who fears being "stale" or "dated." That's always the complaint about Debian. There is admittedly a certain amount of updating needed for new hardware, but that is device drivers, not the whole operating system.

The standard needs to paraphrase Orson Wells, "We will release no operating system before its time." Marketing needs to be second in line behind Sirius Cybernetics for a place at the wall.
Click to expand...

Thank you. The Debian Project is one of the few software organizations left that gives me any hope. They know that just because their major release version is a smaller number doesn't mean anything thanks to apt. But, they famously have always actively shunned all forms of marketing and commercialism.

And your main point is of course spot on as well. Apple has trained us that the .0 release is the actual public beta, .1 is the bug fix release to get it stable, and the working version of the base features. Then the actual things they announced come in point releases over the next year. But they won't say that.

Their software development philosophy is basically the exact opposite of Debian. Everything is driven by marketing, nothing is driven by user needs, and software quality is a distant afterthought.
 
Black Belt said:
They need to fix the watch hardware. It takes FOREVER to update: I updated my ATV then after that my iPad and the damn watch still isn’t done. And in the meantime it hijacks my phone so I can’t do anything.

Oh and they need to overhaul the installation progress bar and time because it is wrong and makes no sense.
Click to expand...

Not sure what you mean by hijacking your phone but other than that I agree. This last watch update took over an hour and was by far the longest installation time ever. I don't think it's the hardware, this is a Series 10 and other updates have gone fine.

I do recommend though that you turn off the bluetooth connection to your watch, join the watch to wifi only, and then initiate the check for updates on the watch itself. That will at least save you the ridiculous double step of downloading it to the phone then painstakingly transferring it over bluetooth to the watch.
 
Hope it fixes the intermittent WiFi animation during boot up on Mac Mini. First time I've ever seen this bug and its weird as heck. With WiFi disabled, why would the OS search for a connection? Really strange
 
CarAnalogy said:
Thank you. The Debian Project is one of the few software organizations left that gives me any hope. They know that just because their major release version is a smaller number doesn't mean anything thanks to apt. But, they famously have always actively shunned all forms of marketing and commercialism.

And your main point is of course spot on as well. Apple has trained us that the .0 release is the actual public beta, .1 is the bug fix release to get it stable, and the working version of the base features. Then the actual things they announced come in point releases over the next year. But they won't say that.

Their software development philosophy is basically the exact opposite of Debian. Everything is driven by marketing, nothing is driven by user needs, and software quality is a distant afterthought.
Click to expand...
indeed, doesn’t make sense to update to anything prior to .3 or even .4
 
Since I usually start looking at considering the next version of MacOS by a .5 and forward release, have they finally started with the optimization builds now, I hope so...or else I'm staying on Sequoia....
 
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