Apple Rolls Out iOS 26.5 With 9-Hour Battery Gains on iPhone 17 Pro Max
Updated
Updated · Geeky Gadgets · May 25
Apple Rolls Out iOS 26.5 With 9-Hour Battery Gains on iPhone 17 Pro Max
3 articles · Updated · Geeky Gadgets · May 25
iOS 26.5 is now live, with the clearest gains landing on the iPhone 17 Pro Max: faster benchmark scores, smoother app switching and roughly 7.5 to 9 hours of screen-on battery life.
iPhone 16 models see a weaker payoff from the update, as battery drain complaints persist and some users still report lag, app crashes and new bugs in heavier workloads.
User reaction has split along device lines, with 17 Pro Max owners largely praising stability improvements while iPhone 16 users say the release still falls short on endurance and consistency.
Apple is expected to follow with iOS 26.5.1 and 26.6 to tackle remaining issues, while iOS 27 beta 1 is scheduled for June 8 and iOS 26 support will continue through the summer.
With iOS 26.5 crippling older iPhones, is this a technical hurdle or a deliberate push by Apple for users to upgrade?
As Apple's AI strategy looms, will its neglect of older models in updates open the door for a new hardware competitor?