Two new features are coming to Apple Maps with the release of iOS 26.5 — that is, if you consider the introduction of ads on the platform a

OS 26.5 is expected to be released next week, following more than a month of beta testing. The update is relatively minor, but there are a couple of new features and changes across the operating system that we have recapped below.

Apple seeds iOS 26.5 Beta 4 (23F5069b) to developers. Explore the final polish for Apple Maps ads, RCS encryption stability & more.

Your iPhone can log all the restaurants, shops, etc., you visit. This opt-in feature also offers some customization power. Apple Maps users, trip planning, or entertaining out-of-town visitors could become much smoother with a new iOS 26 location history ...

Apple Maps is expected to get a new Suggested Places feature and ads in iOS 26.5, while users in the EU could receive interoperability features, including the ability to receive notifications from a third-party smartwatch.

A new head-to-head review finds Google Maps decisively ahead of Apple Maps in 2026, winning in seven of ten tested categories including routing speed, AI integration, live traffic data, EV trip planning, and Street View coverage. Apple Maps still offers a ...