{"id":13807,"date":"2026-05-11T13:15:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-11T20:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.runwayritz.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/11\/ios-26-5-update-released-for-iphone-and-ipad-with-rcs-messaging-new-pride-wallpaper-security-fixes\/"},"modified":"2026-05-11T18:54:04","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T01:54:04","slug":"ios-26-5-update-released-for-iphone-and-ipad-with-rcs-messaging-new-pride-wallpaper-security-fixes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.runwayritz.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/11\/ios-26-5-update-released-for-iphone-and-ipad-with-rcs-messaging-new-pride-wallpaper-security-fixes\/","title":{"rendered":"iOS 26.5 Update Released for iPhone and iPad with RCS Messaging, New Pride Wallpaper, Security Fixes"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/p>\n

\n

\"iOS<\/p>\n

Apple released iOS 26.5 for the iPhone, and ipadOS 26.5 for the iPad. The new software updates include bug fixes, security patches, and several new features, including encrypted RCS messages on supported carriers (essentially for sending encrypted text between iPhone and Android users), a new customizable Pride wallpaper, and \u201cSuggested Places\u201d in Apple Maps.<\/p>\n

Separately, Apple also released macOS Tahoe 26.5 for Mac, watchOS 26.5 for Apple Watch, tvOS 26.5 for Apple TV, and various other software updates for their system software versions. Be sure to check your devices for any available updates, because even older models of iPhone and iPad devices that don’t support iOS 26 have updates available for them.<\/p>\n

The full release notes for iOS 26.5, along with links to download the IPSW firmware file, are below. <\/p>\n

How to download and install iOS 26.5 and iPadOS 26.5 update<\/h2>\n

Back up the iPhone\/iPad in iCloud before starting the system software update. <\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Open the “Settings” app on your iPhone or iPad<\/li>\n
  2. Go to “General” and then “Software Update”<\/li>\n
  3. Select to \u201cUpdate Now\u201d to download and install the iOS 26.5\/iPadOS 26.5 update <\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    \"iOS\"iOS<\/p>\n

    Installing iOS 26.5 will require the iPhone or iPad to restart.<\/p>\n

    Users can also choose to install the iOS update via a computer with a USB connection, or via the IPSW files linked further below. <\/p>\n

    iOS 26.5 Release Notes<\/h3>\n

    The release notes included in iOS 26.5 are as follows:<\/p>\n

    \n

    iOS 26.5<\/p>\n

    This update introduces support for RCS (beta) end-to-end encrypted messaging and a downloadable Pride Luminance wallpaper, as well as enhancements, bug fixes, and security updates for your iPhone.<\/p>\n

    This update includes the following improvements:
    \u25cf End-to-end encrypted RCS messages (beta) in Messages are available with supported carriers and will be rolled out over time. For more information visit: https:\/\/support.apple.com\/109526
    \u25cf Pride Luminance wallpaper that changes colors, available for download
    \u25cf Suggested places in Maps show recommendations based on what’s trending around your recent searches<\/p>\n

    For information on the security content of Apple software updates, please visit:<\/p>\n

    Some features may not be available in all regions or on all iPhone models. To learn more, please visit: <\/p>\n

    Software updates, like this one, add new features and improvements that may affect performance and\/or battery life. To learn more, please visit: <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

    iOS 26.5 IPSW Firmware Download Links<\/h2>\n

    If you want to use IPSW to update iOS manually, the following links point to IPSW files on Apple’s CDN servers:<\/p>\n

    iPadOS 26.5 IPSW Firmware File Download Links<\/h2>\n

    Don’t forget to update your other devices, as almost every Apple device received a software update today, including MacOS Tahoe 26.5, watchOS 26.5, tvOS 26.5, and various updates to older model iPhone, iPad, and Mac hardware.<\/p>\n

    Related<\/em><\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Apple released iOS 26.5 for the iPhone, and ipadOS 26.5 for the iPad. The new software updates include bug fixes, security patches, and several new features, including encrypted RCS messages on supported carriers (essentially for sending encrypted text between iPhone and Android users), a new customizable Pride wallpaper, and \u201cSuggested Places\u201d in Apple Maps. Separately, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":13808,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-13807","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-how-to-tips"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.runwayritz.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13807","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.runwayritz.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.runwayritz.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.runwayritz.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.runwayritz.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13807"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.runwayritz.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13807\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13809,"href":"https:\/\/www.runwayritz.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13807\/revisions\/13809"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.runwayritz.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13808"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.runwayritz.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13807"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.runwayritz.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13807"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.runwayritz.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13807"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}