GoKawiiliOS 26.5 arrived in beta this week packing new iPhone features, but a public launch isn’t too far away. Here’s the expected release date for all users.
iOS 26.5 launch expected in mid-May
Apple has a reputation for secrecy, and sometimes is able to genuinely surprise with new releases. A very recent example is the AirPods Max 2 launch that happened with no prior rumors.
But with software especially, Apple follows very consistent patterns for releases.
For example, Apple will unveil iOS 27 this June at WWDC, and ship it to all users in September—following the same schedule as always.
Smaller software updates follow predictable patterns too. So to get a good sense of when iOS 26.5 will launch, we just have to look back at prior years.
Here are the last few years of x.5 releases:
iOS 18.5: Monday, May 12
iOS 17.5: Monday, May 13
iOS 16.5: Thursday, May 18
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