iOS 26.5 beta 1 is available now

Summary created by Smart Answers AI

In summary:

Macworld reports that Apple released the first developer beta for iOS 26.5 on March 30, with rumors suggesting new Siri features may be included.
The update matters as it could bring anticipated Siri improvements that were notably absent from the recent iOS 26.4 release.
Expected to launch in late April or early May, iOS 26.5 may offer incremental Siri enhancements before major upgrades arrive with OS 27 this fall.

The 26.4 updates brought with them a number of improvements across the various operating systems and Apple’s included apps. But they didn’t bring the expected, long overdue improvements to Siri: A new foundation model, on-screen awareness, personal context, and actions across apps.

Recent rumors rumors make it seem unlikely that all of those things will appear before the big OS 27 updates in the fall, for which Apple is targeting even bigger Apple Intelligence upgrades. But there is some hope that the iOS 26.5 update will bring at least some of the new Siri to our devices. The first developer beta for the 26.5 updates landed on March 30, and we expect a wide release sometime in late April or early May.

What’s new in iOS 26.5

We don’t yet know what features to expect from the final release of iOS 26.5, but we’ll update this section as new features and significant changes are discovered throughout the beta process.

iOS 26.5 beta: How to install

If you want to test the iOS 26 beta releases but are not a registered developer, follow these steps:

Click Sign Up on the Apple Beta page and register with your Apple ID.
Log in to the Beta Software Program.
Click Enroll your iOS device.
Open the Settings app, tap General, then Software Update.
In the Beta Updates section, select the iOS Public Beta.

It may take a few moments after registering for the beta option to appear in Software Update.

iOS 26.5: How to install the developer beta

You’ll need to be registered as an Apple developer, but a free developer account will do. You can get one via Xcode or the Apple Developer app in iOS. Here’s how to do it via the Apple Developer app: