iOS 26 Public Beta Expected This Week as First iOS 27 Rumor Surfaces

[MacRumors]

The first iOS 26 public beta should arrive this week, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.

"All indications are that iOS 26 should go into the public beta phase this coming week," said Gurman, in his Power On newsletter today.

In a social media post last week, Gurman said that the iOS 26 public beta would likely be released on or around Wednesday, July 23.

Apple previously announced that a public beta of iOS 26 would be available in July, but it did not provide a more specific timeframe.

The first public betas of iPadOS 26, macOS 26, tvOS 26, watchOS 26, and HomePod software 26 should be released alongside the iOS 26 public beta, and Apple is also planning to offer a public beta of its next major AirPods firmware update for the first time. Apple does not plan to offer a visionOS 26 public beta, though, according to its beta website.

Anyone can sign up to be a member of the Apple Beta Software Program, for free, and gain access to the public betas for testing. As always, we highly recommend backing up your devices before installing beta software, in case of issues.

All of the updates are already available in developer beta. A few years ago, Apple dropped the requirement to pay $99 per year for an Apple Developer Program membership in order to access the developer betas, but you still need to have an Apple Developer account. Technically, though, the public should wait for the public betas.

Looking ahead, the first iOS 27 rumor has surfaced.

According to Gurman, Apple will formally kick off development of iOS 27 soon, and the company plans to prioritize software features that are tailored for the long-rumored foldable iPhone. That device is expected to launch in the second half of next year.

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Article Link: iOS 26 Public Beta Expected This Week as First iOS 27 Rumor Surfaces

 

[Pudlo]

Apple Intelligence was expected net week a year ago....just saying

 

[Kylo83]

hope we actually get a real re design and not just a skin theme pack, but I know we won’t, being split screen to the iPhone

 

[winxmac]

Once iOS 18.6 is finalized, I may upgrade to it from iOS 17.7 and wait at the sidelines while iOS 26 gets polished until next year.

 

[lankylonky22]

Im staying on 18.6 until iOS 27 comes out

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

Im staying on 18.6 until iOS 27 comes out

what about 18.7?
likely to be released on the same day as iOS 26 for those not upgrading.

 

[jz0309]

I am planning to install PB on my M2 iPad Air …

 

[ForkHandles]

TwentySix is super stable. If your iPhone is a tool to get things done you won’t bat an eyelid.

If your iPhone is some kind of designer symbol where you’re only in it for the aesthetics? We’ll take a chance, love a little, it really isn’t that different.

 

[goonie4life9]

Yeahhh, OS 26 is OLD NEWS that nobody cares about anymore. It's time to get STOKED for the ALL NEW OS 27. The tiny little startup that constantly pushes the bleeding edge in being the best, not the first, skating to where the puck will be, is already building the BEST, MOST POWERFUL OSes ever released for Apple devices. The ALL NEW OS 27 will take things to a whole new level, with breakthrough, game-changing features that allow customers to do amazing things with their devices. Apple can't wait to see the incredible things customers are able to do with the ALL NEW OS 27, powered by the best-in-class Apple Intelligence. Apple thinks you're gonna love it.

One more thing... OS 27 was BUILT for the ALL NEW iPhone Ultra. This is the biggest leap forward in iPhone since iPhone X. The iPhone Ultra features is an ALL NEW, multi-screen iPhone, allowing for the portability of the iPhone and the beautiful, widescreen display of an iPad. This changes everything, all over again!

 

[WarmWinterHat]

I've tried betas in the past, but I'm not touching this one. Will likely stick to 18.x until 26.1 arrives, but we'll see!

 

[Premium1]

Maybe by IOS30 the new Siri will finally be out.

 

[JosephAW]

Since 27 is dropping Intel support we can expect iOS 27 to carry that thru and drop a majority of older iPhone devices, maybe all Lightning devices. 📱

 

[AppleFan91]

Gotta start iOS 27 for the foldable iPhone and give it the exclusive multitasking/split screen features they’ve held back on the Pro/Pro Max’s.

 

[gigapocket1]

iOS 26 is pretty stable as far as betas go….

 

[winxmac]

drop a majority of older iPhone devices, maybe all Lightning devices. 📱

iPhone 11 series may not get iOS 27 [20] but iPhone 12 series will still get iOS 27 [20]

 

[Premium1]

Since 27 is dropping Intel support we can expect iOS 27 to carry that thru and drop a majority of older iPhone devices, maybe all Lightning devices. 📱

I doubt apple drops a device from software support based on the connector, especially seeing as the 12-14 line are still plenty capable in terms of chipset. Apple likes to hang on to support for devices so imagine how many ticked off people would be if the 13/14 line lost support that soon.

 

[macdaddy43]

I actually downgraded back to iOS 18 after running the iOS 26 betas for a few weeks. This is the first time I think I want to sit on the sidelines and wait until Apple figures out what the hell they want to do with liquid glass…

 

[211]

I feel Apple needs to take a step back and look at their OSes and apps, use them and be critical if that is the best they can be in terms of usefulness, intuitiveness, and no bugs. They keep chasing the future and ignoring the past problems. They have made changes, but only because many people complained, rather than they found the issues themselves, or with testers.

 

[visasavo]

i hope the ghost apps will be optional, i already have a hard time distinguishing the google apps, with this glass **** i wont distinguish anything

 

[Stiille]

i hope the ghost apps will be optional, i already have a hard time distinguishing the google apps, with this glass **** i wont distinguish anything

It is optional, like it’s optional to use dark mode/icons

 

[bobdc6]

I find the mention of beta humorous, since Apple's final versions behave like betas until the second or third upgrades.
I won't touch the initial version of this thing.

 

[Astrohunter]

Who would want their iPhone to look like the one on the left? 🤣

 

[Sandstorm]

Definitely will try the public beta on my 13" M4 iPad Pro (the only device not critical for my work). I'm excited for the new window/multitasking system.

 

[Premium1]

Definitely will try the public beta on my 13" M4 iPad Pro (the only device not critical for my work). I'm excited for the new window/multitasking system.

I have it running on my M1 Ipad Pro and it has been pretty solid.

 

[klasma]

Apple Intelligence was expected net week a year ago....just saying

Apple isn’t in a hurry much anymore, since it doesn’t seem to have hurt sales significantly.