iOS 26.5 Beta 3 has been released, and while the outward changes are minor, it includes major shifts in message security and the introduction of ads in Maps. (Photo = MacRumors)
Apple has distributed the third beta of its upcoming operating system, iOS 26.5, to developers. On the surface it looks like a modest update, but looking beneath the hood, the changes are substantial. It is raising the security of the Messages app while also laying the groundwork for ads to appear in Maps. In other words, two changes directly tied to Apple’s identity are arriving in the same update.
Released last week, iOS 26.5 Beta 3 is heading toward a public release in May. Apple’s attention has already shifted to iOS 27, which will be unveiled at the Worldwide Developers Conference on June 8, so 26.5 is close to a final stopover. Still, this is not an update that should be dismissed lightly.
The most noticeable change is the introduction of end-to-end encryption for RCS messages. RCS is the next-generation standard that is replacing SMS, and it is the channel iPhone users use when exchanging photos and videos with Android users. Until now, that channel had one crucial weakness: there was a possibility that third parties could intercept and view messages while they were being transmitted.
With end-to-end encryption, only the sender and the recipient can decode the content. Neither the carrier, nor Apple, nor Google can view it. The security level already applied to iMessage between iPhone users is now extended to conversations with Android users as well.
What is interesting is that Apple delayed this feature once before. It had already tested the same function in the iOS 26.4 beta, but it was omitted from the final 26.4 release last month. It is believed that more time was needed to verify stability and compatibility.
For Korean users, the practical impact may be limited. KakaoTalk effectively dominates the messaging market. Still, for users who live abroad or frequently communicate with friends and family overseas, the meaning is different. In the U.S. and Europe, RCS is an everyday messaging tool, and photos and videos sent through it will finally be placed in a secure envelope.
Apple Maps is expected to introduce ads. Ad placements will appear at the top of search results and in recommended locations. (Photo = MacRumors)
The second change is arriving from the opposite direction. Code for displaying ads in Apple Maps has been embedded in iOS 26.5.
Last month, Apple announced that starting this summer it would begin showing local business ads in the Maps app for users in the United States and Canada. When users search, ads will appear at the top of the results, and ads will also appear at the top of a newly created “recommended places” section. Recommendations are based on nearby popular places or the user’s recent search history.
The significance of this change goes beyond the addition of a simple new feature. Apple has long refined its brand identity around the message that “we are not a company that makes money from ads.”
While Google packed ads into Search and Maps, Apple sought to differentiate itself by emphasizing user experience and privacy. Now that same company is beginning to place ads in the very center of one of its core apps.
Of course, there are safeguards. Ads will be labeled “Ad,” and they will operate in a manner similar to App Store search ads. Apple says that user location data and ad responses will not be linked to Apple accounts. It is a compromise that aims to protect privacy while still generating revenue.
The issue is the trend. Apple’s ad business began in the App Store, expanded into News and Stocks, and has now reached Maps. That is why more people are asking where it will go next. For Korean users, there is no immediate impact, since ad exposure is limited to the U.S. and Canada. However, if this model takes root, expansion into other markets remains possible.
The third change originates in Europe. In iOS 26.5 beta, Apple is working to open features specific to the iPhone—such as notifications, Live Activities, and the easy pairing experienced with AirPods—to third-party smartwatches and headphones. The region for this change is the European Union.
The background to this shift is the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), a law that forces big platform companies not to favor only their own devices and services.
Apple has long designed its operating system so that it connects more smoothly only with its own Watch and AirPods, but now EU users will be able to enjoy a similar experience on devices such as Galaxy Watch and Sony headphones.
Korean users are not directly benefiting from this change, since it is limited to the EU. But its implications are significant. It is one of the first examples of the walls of a closed ecosystem built by a major platform being torn down not by the market itself, but by regulation.
In Korea, too, discussions about platform regulation are continuing, so the EU’s experiment may soon become our own story.
Lastly, iOS 26.5 and watchOS 26.5 add a new “Pride Harmony” wallpaper and watch face symbolizing LGBTQ+ rights. This is an annual event Apple repeats every year ahead of Pride Month in June.
On the surface, iOS 26.5 may look like a minor update. But the fact that it contains three simultaneous shifts—security enhancement, ad introduction, and regulatory response—is highly meaningful. It clearly reveals the direction in which Apple is evolving. How users respond after the official release in May is expected to affect the outline of iOS 27, which will be unveiled at WWDC in June.