Apple rolls out first iOS 26.5 beta

When will AI Siri arrive?

Recently, Apple started rolling out the first beta of iOS 26.5, the latest release for Apple's iOS platform. This update, so far, is poised to include the newest ads in Apple Maps, along with "suggested places" in the app. The biggest disappointment with this update is the fact that it does not include the AI Siri that was expected months (or even years) ago in Apple Intelligence.

Recent reports and rumors state that the new, fully AI Siri is expected to come in iOS 27, but other AI features are still expected, but they have not shown yet. These updates to Apple Intelligence with the new AI Siri "could come in a later beta of iOS 26.5," but with June's WWDC 26 on the horizon, it appears that it most likely will just be pushed off once again to iOS 27.

This raises the question of how the features will be presented at WWDC. Will the features be reintroduced using roughly the same language as before, or will new advancements and updates to the feature set add more to the original phrasing? It's tough to say, since the first look we got was already somewhat descriptive (even if it was not fully ready). However, with the constraints already faced, it seems likely that Apple will mostly stick to the original features, since delivering on those is what's important.

iOS 26.5 looks to be a great update with bug fixes and changes to make iOS smoother and more secure. We will have to wait and see what Apple does soon.