Release candidates of iOS 26.5, macOS Tahoe 26.5 are out now

The release candidates for iOS 26.5, iPadOS 26.5, watchOS 26.5, tvOS 26.5, visionOS 26.5, and macOS Tahoe 26.5 are out, as testing for the generation nears its end.

The RC builds for iOS 26.5, iPadOS 26.5, watchOS 26.5, tvOS 26.5, visionOS 26.5, and macOS Tahoe 26.5 surface after the fourth developer betas, which Apple brought out on April 27. The third came out on April 20, while the second appeared on April 13.

The first round was distributed on March 30, but Apple re-released the developer beta for iOS 26.5 on March 24, complete with a new build number.

An RC build is usually the last before the public release, but it’s not guaranteed. There can be a second RC build, or even a third, depending on how the first RC instance behaves.

• iOS 26.5 RC 1 is 23F75, replacing 23F5069b
• iPadOS 26.5 RC 1 is 23F75, replacing 23F5069b
• watchOS 26.5 RC 1 is 23T570, replacing 23T5568a,
• visionOS 26.5 RC 1 is 23O471, replacing 23O5468a
• tvOS 26.5 RC 1 is 23L471, replacing 23L5469a
• macOS Tahoe 26.5 RC 1 is 25F71, replacing 25F5068a
• HomePod Software 26.5 RC 1 is 23L471, replacing 23L5469a

Apple also brought out RC versions for its older operating systems:

• iOS 18.7.9 RC 1 is 22H355
• macOS 15.7.7 RC 3 is 24G720
• macOS 14.8.7 RC 3 is 23J520

The first iOS 26.5 build introduced notification forwarding in the EU, and continued the testing of end-to-end encrypted RCS messaging. However, it also accidentally brought Apple Intelligence to China earlier than expected, and didn’t include any Siri improvements despite speculation on the feature.

The second build laid more groundwork for the addition of ads to Apple Maps.

AppleInsider and Apple strongly insist that users avoid installing beta operating systems or beta software onto any primary devices or “mission-critical” hardware, due to the possibility of data loss and other issues. Instead, they should keep backups of data where possible, and use spare secondary hardware that isn’t as essential to maintain if something happens.

For users wanting to try the updates in a generally safer way, Apple usually introduces a public beta version shortly after the developer version. It’s a more battle-hardened version of the update that tends to have fewer issues compared to the developer beta.

Find any changes in the new builds? Reach out to us on Twitter at @AppleInsider or @Andrew_OSU, or send Andrew an email at [email protected].