diff --git a/Apps/Playground/ios/Podfile b/Apps/Playground/ios/Podfile
index eac32f246..65dddb0d0 100644
--- a/Apps/Playground/ios/Podfile
+++ b/Apps/Playground/ios/Podfile
@@ -1,6 +1,10 @@
 require_relative '../node_modules/react-native-test-app/test_app'
 require_relative '../node_modules/react-native-permissions/scripts/setup'
 
+# Match the @babylonjs/react-native pod's iOS 16 minimum (required for Xcode 26
+# builds, where the CMake-generated framework targets iOS 16 by default).
+platform :ios, '16.0'
+
 workspace 'Playground.xcworkspace'
 
 # react-native-permissions
diff --git a/Modules/@babylonjs/react-native/README.md b/Modules/@babylonjs/react-native/README.md
index 95a36e612..adca4f33f 100644
--- a/Modules/@babylonjs/react-native/README.md
+++ b/Modules/@babylonjs/react-native/README.md
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ The minimum Android SDK version is 21. This must be set as `minSdkVersion` in th
 
 ### iOS Configuration
 
-The minimum deployment target version is 12. This must be set as `iOS Deployment Target` in the consuming project's `project.pbxproj`, and must also be set as `platform` in the consuming project's `Podfile`.
+The minimum deployment target version is 16. This must be set as `iOS Deployment Target` in the consuming project's `project.pbxproj`, and must also be set as `platform` in the consuming project's `Podfile`.
 Make sure `pod install` is called from the ios folder after npm install.
 
 #### Workspace
@@ -39,6 +39,12 @@ To use the system cmake (e.g. a Homebrew or system install) instead of the cmake
 export BABYLON_USE_SYSTEM_CMAKE=1
 ```
 
+To override the iOS deployment target used by the generated `ReactNativeBabylon.xcodeproj` (defaults to `16.0`), set this variable before running `npm install` so it matches your app's Podfile `platform :ios` value:
+```
+export BABYLON_IOS_DEPLOYMENT_TARGET=16.0
+```
+The previous default of iOS 12 caused Xcode 26's Clang to crash while compiling `DeviceImpl_iOS.mm`; the default is now `16.0` and this variable lets you raise it further (or, at your own risk, lower it) without patching the deployment target from a Podfile `post_install` hook.
+
 ### Plugins selection
 
 Plugins can be disabled at build time. They are all enabled by default and disabling is done with environment variables:
diff --git a/Modules/@babylonjs/react-native/android/build.gradle b/Modules/@babylonjs/react-native/android/build.gradle
index 8296eaeff..52894ac97 100644
--- a/Modules/@babylonjs/react-native/android/build.gradle
+++ b/Modules/@babylonjs/react-native/android/build.gradle
@@ -66,6 +66,15 @@ def graphics_api = safeExtGet('GRAPHICS_API', "OpenGL")
 def rootBuildDir = "${rootProject.rootDir}/../Build/Android"
 def extractedLibDir = "${rootBuildDir}/lib"
 
+// ARCore version. Consumers can override by setting ext.arcoreVersion in their
+// root build.gradle (e.g. `ext.arcoreVersion = '1.26.0'` to resolve the
+// duplicate-class conflict between com.google.ar:core:1.22 and
+// com.android.installreferrer:installreferrer:2.2). A consumer's
+// resolutionStrategy.force on com.google.ar:core also wins over this value,
+// in which case the dynamic ARCORE_LIBPATH resolution below still picks up
+// the actually-extracted AAR.
+def arcoreVersion = safeExtGet('arcoreVersion', '1.22.0')
+
 def BABYLON_NATIVE_PLUGIN_NATIVECAMERA = System.getenv("BABYLON_NATIVE_PLUGIN_NATIVECAMERA") != "0"
 def BABYLON_NATIVE_PLUGIN_NATIVEXR = System.getenv("BABYLON_NATIVE_PLUGIN_NATIVEXR") != "0"
 
@@ -168,10 +177,17 @@ android {
             cmake {
                 cppFlags "-fexceptions", "-frtti", "-std=c++1y", "-DONANDROID"
                 abiFilters (*reactNativeArchitectures())
+                // NOTE: -DARCORE_LIBPATH below points at the AAR matching the
+                // declared `arcoreVersion` (see top of this file). The actual
+                // resolved ARCore version may differ (consumer
+                // resolutionStrategy.force, dependency conflict resolution),
+                // so the argument is rewritten further down in this script
+                // (search for "arcoreAarFileName") to point at the AAR that
+                // Gradle actually extracted.
                 arguments "-DANDROID_STL=c++_shared",
                         "-DGRAPHICS_API=${graphics_api}",
                         "-DREACT_NATIVE_VERSION=${REACT_NATIVE_VERSION}",
-                        "-DARCORE_LIBPATH=${extractedLibDir}/core-1.22.0.aar/jni",
+                        "-DARCORE_LIBPATH=${extractedLibDir}/core-${arcoreVersion}.aar/jni",
                         "-DREACTNATIVE_DIR=${rootDir}/../node_modules/react-native/",
                         "-DBABYLON_NATIVE_PLUGIN_NATIVECAMERA=${BABYLON_NATIVE_PLUGIN_NATIVECAMERA ? '1' : '0'}",
                         "-DBABYLON_NATIVE_PLUGIN_NATIVEXR=${BABYLON_NATIVE_PLUGIN_NATIVEXR ? '1' : '0'}",
@@ -286,9 +302,9 @@ repositories {
 dependencies {
     //noinspection GradleDynamicVersion
     implementation 'com.facebook.react:react-native:+'  // From node_modules
-    implementation 'com.google.ar:core:1.22.0'
+    implementation "com.google.ar:core:${arcoreVersion}"
 
-    extractLibs 'com.google.ar:core:1.22.0'
+    extractLibs "com.google.ar:core:${arcoreVersion}"
 
     if (REACT_NATIVE_VERSION < 71) {
         logger.warn("BabylonReactNative: Extracting files from AAR (pre RN 0.71)")
@@ -388,6 +404,19 @@ def nativeBuildDependsOn(dependsOnTask, variant) {
   buildTasks.forEach { task -> task.dependsOn(dependsOnTask) }
 }
 
+// Resolve the actual ARCore AAR name. A consumer project may override
+// `ext.arcoreVersion` or apply a resolutionStrategy.force to com.google.ar:core
+// (e.g. to resolve a conflict with installreferrer 2.2 that requires
+// com.google.ar:core 1.26+). Gradle extracts the AAR into a folder named after
+// the *resolved* artifact (core-<version>.aar), so the native build's
+// -DARCORE_LIBPATH argument must match that resolved name rather than the
+// version literal declared in the dependencies block.
+def arcoreAar = configurations.extractLibs.resolvedConfiguration.resolvedArtifacts.find { it.name == 'core' }
+def arcoreAarName = arcoreAar ? "${arcoreAar.name}-${arcoreAar.moduleVersion.id.version}.aar" : "core-${arcoreVersion}.aar"
+android.defaultConfig.externalNativeBuild.cmake.arguments.replaceAll {
+    it.toString().startsWith('-DARCORE_LIBPATH=') ? "-DARCORE_LIBPATH=${extractedLibDir}/${arcoreAarName}/jni".toString() : it
+}
+
 configurations.extractLibs.files.each { file ->
     copy {
         from zipTree(file)
diff --git a/Modules/@babylonjs/react-native/ios/CMakeLists.txt b/Modules/@babylonjs/react-native/ios/CMakeLists.txt
index f23cc4068..7e3b08cd3 100644
--- a/Modules/@babylonjs/react-native/ios/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/Modules/@babylonjs/react-native/ios/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -9,7 +9,23 @@ FetchContent_Declare(ios-cmake
 FetchContent_MakeAvailable(ios-cmake)
 set(CMAKE_TOOLCHAIN_FILE "${ios-cmake_SOURCE_DIR}/ios.toolchain.cmake" CACHE PATH "")
 set(PLATFORM "OS64COMBINED" CACHE STRING "")
-set(DEPLOYMENT_TARGET "12" CACHE STRING "")
+
+# Allow the consuming project to override the iOS deployment target used when
+# generating the Xcode project. Resolution order:
+#   1. -DDEPLOYMENT_TARGET=<x> on the cmake command line (highest priority)
+#   2. BABYLON_IOS_DEPLOYMENT_TARGET environment variable (forwarded by
+#      postinstall.js so consumers can set it before `npm install`)
+#   3. 16.0 (default). iOS 12 used to be the default, but it is known to crash
+#      Xcode 26's Clang while compiling DeviceImpl_iOS.mm; iOS 16 is now the
+#      supported minimum.
+if(NOT DEFINED DEPLOYMENT_TARGET OR "${DEPLOYMENT_TARGET}" STREQUAL "")
+    if(DEFINED ENV{BABYLON_IOS_DEPLOYMENT_TARGET} AND NOT "$ENV{BABYLON_IOS_DEPLOYMENT_TARGET}" STREQUAL "")
+        set(DEPLOYMENT_TARGET "$ENV{BABYLON_IOS_DEPLOYMENT_TARGET}" CACHE STRING "iOS deployment target")
+    else()
+        set(DEPLOYMENT_TARGET "16" CACHE STRING "iOS deployment target")
+    endif()
+endif()
+message(STATUS "BabylonReactNative iOS DEPLOYMENT_TARGET: ${DEPLOYMENT_TARGET}")
 set(ENABLE_ARC OFF CACHE STRING "Enables or disables ARC support.")
 set(ENABLE_PCH OFF CACHE STRING "Enables or disables precompiled headers.")
 set(CMAKE_XCODE_GENERATE_SCHEME ON)
@@ -91,7 +107,7 @@ target_link_libraries(BabylonNative
 # TODO: For some reason these don't work, so we specify these in the CMake command line args.
 set_target_properties(BabylonNative PROPERTIES
     XCODE_ATTRIBUTE_CLANG_ENABLE_OBJC_ARC NO
-    XCODE_ATTRIBUTE_IPHONEOS_DEPLOYMENT_TARGET 12.0
+    XCODE_ATTRIBUTE_IPHONEOS_DEPLOYMENT_TARGET ${DEPLOYMENT_TARGET}
     XCODE_ATTRIBUTE_ENABLE_BITCODE YES
     XCODE_GENERATE_SCHEME ON
 )
diff --git a/Modules/@babylonjs/react-native/postinstall.js b/Modules/@babylonjs/react-native/postinstall.js
index a7da65d08..8c5591f92 100644
--- a/Modules/@babylonjs/react-native/postinstall.js
+++ b/Modules/@babylonjs/react-native/postinstall.js
@@ -24,11 +24,23 @@ function getCmakeExecutable() {
 function iosCMake() {
   const { spawn } = require('child_process');
 
-  const cmake = spawn(getCmakeExecutable(), [
+  const cmakeArgs = [
     '-S', path.join(__dirname, 'ios'),
     '-B', path.join(__dirname, 'Build/iOS'),
     '-G', 'Xcode',
-  ], { stdio: 'inherit', cwd: __dirname });
+  ];
+
+  // Allow the consuming project to override the iOS deployment target used
+  // when generating the Xcode project. The CMakeLists.txt default is 16.0
+  // (iOS 12 used to be the default but is known to crash Xcode 26's Clang
+  // when compiling DeviceImpl_iOS.mm); set this if you need a different
+  // minimum to match your Podfile `platform :ios` value.
+  const deploymentTarget = process.env.BABYLON_IOS_DEPLOYMENT_TARGET;
+  if (deploymentTarget && deploymentTarget.trim() !== '') {
+    cmakeArgs.push(`-DDEPLOYMENT_TARGET=${deploymentTarget.trim()}`);
+  }
+
+  const cmake = spawn(getCmakeExecutable(), cmakeArgs, { stdio: 'inherit', cwd: __dirname });
 
   cmake.on('exit', code => {
     if (code !== 0) {
diff --git a/Modules/@babylonjs/react-native/react-native-babylon.podspec b/Modules/@babylonjs/react-native/react-native-babylon.podspec
index f18ea17fc..c1e80889d 100644
--- a/Modules/@babylonjs/react-native/react-native-babylon.podspec
+++ b/Modules/@babylonjs/react-native/react-native-babylon.podspec
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ Pod::Spec.new do |s|
   s.license      = package["license"]
   s.authors      = package["author"]
 
-  s.platforms    = { :ios => "12.0" }
+  s.platforms    = { :ios => "16.0" }
   s.source       = { :git => package["repository"]["url"], :tag => s.version }
 
   s.source_files = "ios/*.{h,m,mm}"