May 29, 2026, 4:34 pm | Read time: 3 minutes
In just over a week, Apple will unveil iOS 27 at the WWDC 2026. Alongside these preparations, the company is also working on iOS 26.6, which is now available to registered beta testers. TECHBOOK has installed the update and reveals what’s inside.
New Alert for Blocked Contacts
Unlike iOS 26.5, iOS 26.6 doesn’t seem to bring any new features on the surface. However, in the update’s code, “Macrumors” found a hint of a new alert that will appear when users block too many contacts. Once the limit is reached, iOS will display the following message: “You have reached the maximum number of blocked contacts. To block more callers, remove a blocked contact in settings.”
According to well-known Apple YouTuber Aaron Zollo, the limit for blocked contacts in iOS is 20,000 entries–though this doesn’t seem to apply to everyone. Some Reddit users report that the limit is reached at just a few hundred or thousand entries. A possible explanation from a user is that Apple has lowered the limit, and the 20,000 entries only apply to those who have already blocked a large number of numbers in earlier iOS versions.
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What to Do When the Limit Is Reached?
For most users, this limit is unlikely to be an issue. However, given the number of spam calls and messages, the list can quickly grow with consistent reporting and blocking.
Related: TECHBOOK publishes a monthly list of current spam numbers.
Older entries can be removed via Settings > Apps > Phone > Blocked Contacts. There is no feature to delete multiple blocked contacts at once. The easiest way to remove an entry is by swiping left on it. Alternatively, you can do this via “Edit” and the red minus symbol next to a contact.
Whether users hit the limit at 20,000 entries or earlier, there’s a trick to completely bypass the restriction. Instead of adding each number to the list, users can block a contact and assign as many numbers as they want to it.
Other Updates in iOS 26.6
Apart from the new alert, there are hardly any changes in the update. The end-to-end encryption for RCS chats introduced with iOS 26.5 is now expected to be available with more providers. Although Apple has made this feature standard for communication between Android and iOS devices, mobile carriers must also enable it on their end.
The games app greets users with two new features after installing iOS 26.6. One is that recently downloaded games are prominently displayed on the home page, allowing users to start them directly from there. Achievements and high scores also appear on the home page to be more visible to users.
Several weeks are likely to pass before the release of iOS 26.6. Apple is currently focusing on the release of the first beta versions of iOS 27, which will be available immediately following the keynote on June 8 at the start of WWDC 2026.