Apple introduced the first public beta of iOS 26 on July 24, following its announcement at the Worldwide Developers Conference in June. This beta version allows developers and public testers to get a head start on the new features set to be officially released to the public this fall.
To access the iOS 26 public beta, public beta testers and developers can navigate to their device’s Settings, select General, then Software Update, and finally opt for Beta updates to ensure they have iOS 26 Public Beta activated. After that, they can proceed with the update.
It’s important to note that this is an early version of the software, and users should expect possible bugs and effects on battery life. Therefore, Apple strongly advises installing the beta on a secondary device rather than the primary one. Only iPhone models newer than the iPhone 11 are compatible with this beta version, which means older models like the iPhone XR will not be able to download it.
Beyond the beta release, iOS 26 is expected to introduce numerous enhancements, including notable revamps to the iPhone alarm feature and new functionalities related to Liquid Glass technology. This marks a continued effort by Apple to innovate and improve user experience.
Overall, the release of the iOS 26 public beta signals Apple’s commitment to engaging its community of developers and testers to refine the software ahead of its official launch, creating anticipation for the upgraded features.