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The next iPhone update, iOS 26.5, is almost here, predicted to land on or around Monday, May 11. However, out of nowhere, Apple has just seeded a second release candidate beta to developers. How does this affect the release date, and what does it mean for your iPhone?

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The Second Release Candidate Beta

Release Candidate software is the last beta before the update becomes widely available, usually a week beforehand. In the case of iOS 26.5, this happened on Monday, May 4 (full details here), which chimes with expectations of general release on Monday, May 11.

However, Friday, May 8 saw a second release candidate made available to developers — a rare but not unprecedented occurrence.

When this happens it’s almost certainly because Apple has come across bugs which it wants to squish before the general release. It’s much less likely to indicate the addition or removal of features or big changes to the interface.

Which means that the biggest change coming to iOS 26.5, the introduction of end-to-end encryption to RCS messages, still looks likely to happen.

Additionally, the Pride wallpaper coming alongside iOS 26.5 is near-certain to remain, as will the other new features, such as a Suggested Places feature for Apple Maps and EU-specific changes.

Apple iOS 26.5 Release Date

While it’s possible that the second release candidate could mean the general release is held for a week to Friday, May 15, I think that’s unlikely.

There’s probably not going to be any delay, with the next update landing at 10 a.m. Pacific on Monday, May 11. If it’s affected at all, it could be to the next day, Tuesday, May 12, but likely not after that.

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