1st Beta of macOS Tahoe 26.5 & iOS 26.5 Released for Testing
Apple has issued the first beta versions of iOS 26.5, MacOS Tahoe 26.5, and iPadOS 26.5, for users who are participating in the developer beta programs for Apple system software.
The new versions of beta system software don’t include any major new features thus far, except for laying the groundwork for including advertisements in Apple Maps (is that a feature?), and more work on the RCS messaging feature that was beta tested in the prior releases but did not arrive in the public versions.
The most recent versions of stable system software are the recently released iOS 26.4 update, iPadOS 26.4 update, and macOS Tahoe 26.4 update.
How to Download iOS 26.5 Beta 1 / iPadOS 26.5 Beta 1
For iPhone and iPad users enrolled in the beta testing programs:
- Open the “Settings” app then go to “General”
- Go to “Software Update”
- Choose to install the iOS 26.5 beta / iPadOS 26.5 beta
How to Download MacOS Tahoe 26.5 Beta 1
For Mac users enrolled in the beta program:
- From the Apple menu, go to “System Settings” and then to “General”
- Go to “Software Update”
- Choose to update to MacOS Tahoe 26.5 beta
Since Apple typically goes through several versions of beta builds before releasing a final version to the general public, and this is the first beta release, it’s likely a ways out until final public versions of iOS 26.5 and MacOS 26.5 are released to the broader public, probably sometime in late April at the absolute earliest, or sometime in May. Apple already announced that WWDC 2026 will be on June 8, so presumably the majority of their OS development efforts are already dedicated to the upcoming iOS 27, MacOS 27, and iPadOS 27 releases.
For those not in the beta program, iOS 26.4, iPadOS 26.4, and macOS Tahoe 26.4 are available instead, along with updates to just about every other Apple device too.
