Your iPhone’s Maps App Could Get Ads With iOS 26.5
Apple released the second public beta of iOS 26.5 on Tuesday, about three weeks after the company’s mass release. iOS 26.4 update, which included new emojivideo podcasts and more. The iOS 26.5 beta brings some smaller, but significant, changes to the iPhone from developers and beta testers, including a screen in Maps advertising in-app ads and end-to-end encrypted RCS messaging.
As this is a beta version, I recommend only downloading it on a device other than your primary device. This is not the final version of iOS 26.5, so the update may be buggy and battery life may be shortened, so these issues are best kept on a secondary device.
Additionally, since this isn’t the final version of iOS 26.5, Apple could add more features to the update before it hits your iPhone.
Here are some features developers and beta testers can try right now, and what might come to your iPhone when Apple releases iOS 26.5.
Ads could soon be coming to Maps
If you open your Maps app after downloading the iOS 26.5 beta, you’ll see a new splash screen announcing the arrival of ads in the app.
“Maps can serve local ads based on your approximate location, current search terms, or view of the map while you search,” Apple explains. “For your privacy, advertising information is not linked to your Apple account.”
Apple announced Apple Business in March, allowing businesses to connect with customers through some of Apple’s proprietary apps, such as Mail and Wallet. Apple Business also lets businesses show local ads in Maps. You might start seeing ads in Maps for the coffee shop near you.
Suggested places in maps
The iOS 26.5 beta also brings a new section called Suggested Places to your Maps app. Once in the app, tap your search bar as if you were going to search for a nearby cafe or restaurant, and the section Suggested places will appear below Recent.
End-to-end encrypted RCS email returns
The iOS 26.5 beta brings back an option to enable end-to-end encrypted RCS messaging on your device. When Apple brought RCS Messaging to iPhones with iOS 18A feature that the messaging protocol was missing was end-to-end encryption, and iOS 26.5 could finally bring this privacy protection to your iPhone.
To find this setting, go to Settings > Applications > Messages > RCS Messaging and tap the slider next to End-to-end encryption (beta).
Apple writes in the feature description that it is still in beta and only works on certain carriers and devices. Apple also writes that these encrypted messages will be labeled as such, so you should know when your messages do or do not have this level of protection.
Apple included end-to-end encrypted RCS messaging in beta versions of iOS 26.4, but the tech giant did not include this feature in the final version.
These are just some of the new features that developers and public beta testers can try right now with the second public beta of iOS 26.5. There will likely be more beta versions before the operating system is released to the public, giving Apple plenty of time to change these features and add more. Apple hasn’t said when it will release iOS 26.5 to the general public.
For more iOS news, here’s everything you need to know iOS 26.4 And iOS 26.3. You can also view our iOS 26 Cheat Sheet.
Watch this: iPhone in space: the many Apple products that have left Earth
