iOS 26 Speculation Thread

[gank41]

Patently false. It’s a 1-2 hour affair everytime. The backup you perform before an install by itself takes more than the 10 minutes you claim

Maybe there in lies the problem?? No one I know has this issue, where it takes this long to back up your phone or install an update.. and if one of the issues you’re having is that it takes forever to backup your phone, that’s either a poor connection or whatever it is in the data your phone is trying to back up.

Seriously, nobody’s having these “wide spread issues” you’re saying people are having.

 

[Nathan576]

Not sure if this is the right thread for this? lol

This thread is more than just a guessing game of when it will release.

 

[Kal Madda]

This thread is more than just a guessing game of when it will release.

This thread is for speculation about iOS 26 (and broadly other Apple software versions that correspond with it such as iPadOS 26, macOS 26, etc.)

 

[hovscorpion12]

To be fair, beta 4 dropped on Tuesday, July 22nd [with revised version on Thursday the 25th due to public beta].

It's 1000% THIS WEEK. We just dont know the day.

 

[DDustiNN]

So, no beta 5 today… bummer. Possibly tomorrow? Or do they stop the 2-week cycles once beta goes public?

 

[greg624]

This thread is more than just a guessing game of when it will release.

Well it ain’t the thread to talk about issues. That’s what the “bug fixes, changes and improvements” thread is for.

 

[Nathan576]

This thread is for speculation about iOS 26 (and broadly other Apple software versions that correspond with it such as iPadOS 26, macOS 26, etc.)

Yes, so people are allowed to speculate on Siri’s capabilities…it is part of iOS 26.

 

[Kal Madda]

Yes, so people are allowed to speculate on Siri’s capabilities…it is part of iOS 26.

Complaining about features is not speculation, it’s off-topic and should be done in another thread…

 

[Premium1]

Maybe there in lies the problem?? No one I know has this issue, where it takes this long to back up your phone or install an update.. and if one of the issues you’re having is that it takes forever to backup your phone, that’s either a poor connection or whatever it is in the data your phone is trying to back up.

Seriously, nobody’s having these “wide spread issues” you’re saying people are having.

Dude just wants an excuse to take off work and is using his phone updating for that excuse.

 

[vbctv]

I believe this beta may come a little later than normal because I believe it will be the first beta to feature bug fixes from the feedback app. They are starting to respond to feedback finally and I noticed the Recent Similar Reports are moving finally and the resolutions also have some movement. I have 2 feedbacks that now say under resolution (will be fixed in future iOS update). So if it doesn't come tomorrow don't be discouraged because late last week was the first time since beta 1 that any feedback submitted started finally seeing responses or even coming up with similar reports being shown instead of none. So it looks like they are now to the fix stage with just about 6 weeks left until release.
There is no actual release schedule. We have seen betas in the past come on a Thursday at 3 or 4pm eastern time before. We have even seen a rare Saturday release a few years ago. Yes it's usually Monday or Tuesday but it does NOT have to be. And with this seemingly being the first feedback bug fix release, they may be trying to fix as much as they can even if it delays the release a few days or even a extra week, as we are getting ready for the weekly releases after beta 5.

 

[Maloney~888]

I believe this beta may come a little later than normal because I believe it will be the first beta to feature bug fixes from the feedback app. They are starting to respond to feedback finally and I noticed the Recent Similar Reports are moving finally and the resolutions also have some movement. I have 2 feedbacks that now say under resolution (will be fixed in future iOS update). So if it doesn't come tomorrow don't be discouraged because late last week was the first time since beta 1 that any feedback submitted started finally seeing responses or even coming up with similar reports being shown instead of none. So it looks like they are now to the fix stage with just about 6 weeks left until release.
There is no actual release schedule. We have seen betas in the past come on a Thursday at 3 or 4pm eastern time before. We have even seen a rare Saturday release a few years ago. Yes it's usually Monday or Tuesday but it does NOT have to be. And with this seemingly being the first feedback bug fix release, they may be trying to fix as much as they can even if it delays the release a few days or even a extra week, as we are getting ready for the weekly releases after beta 5.

First time I've ever been asked by Apple to rerun a sysdiag file for the issue on my iPad with the photos app constantly crashing upon opening. It's unusable atm. I'm not alone. So hopefully it gets fixed soon.

 

[MrRom92]

You either need a new phone or a new internet connection. My phone is out of commission for 10-15 minutes tops during installation

Literally right above your comment, in my last post I said I have gigabit internet.
And I do need a new phone! But this is device agnostic, it’s not like the update experience has changed. It is what it is.

It literally only takes 10-15 minutes to install a beta. Nowhere close to even an hour, let alone 2. And even if you were to backup the phone every time, it still shouldn’t take anywhere close to an hour… Updates don’t take anywhere close to that long to install…

No, it does not literally only take 10-15 minutes. Yes, it does take this amount of time. Not sure if you want me to record the process and put a stopwatch in the corner.

This is why I get frustrated with these forums. You share the objective facts about what the Apple experience is actually like and these people come out of the woodwork to debunk it like it’s “fake news” or something, even when they have multiple people in the thread verifying the original claim. For no reason there is nothing that can be said here that makes the Apple experience look even mildly unpleasant as this tarnishes the image of Tim’s utopian vision. All I even said in the first place is that it is a time commitment to update your Apple devices.

 

[MrRom92]

Because we’ve done it and know it doesn’t take anywhere near an hour, dude. Taking time off work to update your phone is ridiculous.

You say this so confidently as if I haven’t just gone through this process multiple times within very recent history. We are nearly on beta 5 of iOS 26

 

[MrRom92]

Maybe there in lies the problem?? No one I know has this issue, where it takes this long to back up your phone or install an update.. and if one of the issues you’re having is that it takes forever to backup your phone, that’s either a poor connection or whatever it is in the data your phone is trying to back up.

Seriously, nobody’s having these “wide spread issues” you’re saying people are having.

The backup process has not changed fundamentally in the last 20 years, so now you’re saying that it takes 15 minutes is too long and an issue in itself? I’m using an official Apple cable I only dedicate to use for backups and nothing else, so now their hardware is flawed and providing a poor connection?

 

[Kal Madda]

Literally right above your comment, in my last post I said I have gigabit internet.
And I do need a new phone! But this is device agnostic, it’s not like the update experience has changed. It is what it is.


No, it does not literally only take 10-15 minutes. Yes, it does take this amount of time. Not sure if you want me to record the process and put a stopwatch in the corner.

This is why I get frustrated with these forums. You share the objective facts about what the Apple experience is actually like and these people come out of the woodwork to debunk it like it’s “fake news” or something, even when they have multiple people in the thread verifying the original claim. For no reason there is nothing that can be said here that makes the Apple experience look even mildly unpleasant as this tarnishes the image of Tim’s utopian vision. All I even said in the first place is that it is a time commitment to update your Apple devices.

Yes, as someone who has been installing iOS Betas since iOS 17, betas only take around 10-15 minutes to install at most. They do not take hours…

It isn’t objective fact, at best, it’s your subjective opinion. Nobody else has claimed betas take 2 hours to install, that’s just you…

And this is not a thread for complaining about Apple, Apple software, or Apple features. It’s a speculation thread for iOS 26…

 

[MrRom92]

Yes, as someone who has been installing iOS Betas since iOS 17, betas only take around 10-15 minutes to install at most. They do not take hours…

It isn’t objective fact, at best, it’s your subjective opinion. Nobody else has claimed betas take 2 hours to install, that’s just you…

And this is not a thread for complaining about Apple, Apple software, or Apple features. It’s a speculation thread for iOS 26…

To clear the air. For those performing a full install per ever OS release via itunes [IPSW], it takes close to 1hr+.

If your doing the update OTA, less than 10 mins

1. I imagined it, it is not an objective fact of reality, and 2. Nobody else in the thread verified it

Gaslighting at its finest

 

[Artemiz]

The backup process has not changed fundamentally in the last 20 years, so now you’re saying that it takes 15 minutes is too long and an issue in itself? I’m using an official Apple cable I only dedicate to use for backups and nothing else, so now their hardware is flawed and providing a poor connection?

I just performed an encrypted backup of my 13P and it took 18mins 45sec from start to finish.
Used storage at 155 GB with a backup of 42.5 GB with iCloud Photos and Apple Music. Maybe it takes longer on a PC and probably longer if it's backing up your photos and Music as well. But that's about the norm, less than 20 mins, for most iPhone users with those variables. Should be much faster for 15Pro or later with a USB 3.0 support.

 

[Kal Madda]

1. I imagined it, it is not an objective fact of reality, and 2. Nobody else in the thread verified it

Gaslighting at its finest

1. I didn’t say that, I said that it is not supposed to take that long, and if it is taking that long for you, then something is seriously wrong with the way you’re doing it, your device, or something else that is causing that. But it most certainly is NOT normal behavior.

2. You’re cherry picking and twisting what was said. Full install, as in, completely from scratch, a complete wipe and reinstall of the entire OS, not updating a beta… And the comment you cite claims it could take around an hour for a full install, not two as you have claimed. And even if he does actually agree with you (which I doubt), two people claiming something in a thread is not objective evidence, nor does it “verify” anything…

The iOS 26 Speculation Thread is not for complaining about Apple, Apple software, features, etc. It’s for speculation, period.

 

[MrRom92]

I just performed an encrypted backup of my 13P and it took 18mins 45sec from start to finish.
Used storage at 155 GB with a backup of 42.5 GB with iCloud Photos and Apple Music. Maybe it takes longer on a PC and probably longer if it's backing up your photos and Music as well. But that's about the norm, less than 20 mins, for most iPhone users with those variables. Should be much faster for 15Pro or later with a USB 3.0 support.

This is exactly what I stated with regards to performing a backup, it takes roughly 15 minutes

It should be faster on a 15 Pro or later when paired with the appropriate cable, however it has been discovered that the process is still effectively capped at the 480mbps USB 2.0 speed. I started the discussion thread on this myself, should not be hard to find in the forums.

This will certainly be an issue come September when doing a restore, or a first time backup of the new iPhone post-restore can take 3-5 hours

 

[Artemiz]

This will certainly be an issue come September when doing a restore, or a first time backup of the new iPhone post-restore can take 3-5 hours

Backup time depends on the OS, device and the (full) backup size. It doesn't matter if you're backing up for the first time or hundredth time.

 

[Kal Madda]

How about we get back on topic. I think the next iOS 26 beta will drop tomorrow. 👍🏻

 

[MrRom92]

Backup time depends on the OS, device and the (full) backup size. It doesn't matter if you're backing up for the first time or hundredth time.

I agree we should get back on topic however backups are incremental (within a singular device S/N) so they do go faster if it is the hundredth time (~15 minutes) versus the first time (~5 hours)
It can depend on how long it’s been since your last backup, I do it about once or twice a month so ~15-20 minutes is the norm, there is never close to a full terabyte of data to be moved in my scenario, until it is time to get it on/off a new phone come time to upgrade.

 

[iSuzan]

I would love to see more glass! 😅

Tuesday will be dB day then! I hope pb will follow a day later. On my iPhone I have this super thin safety net.

 

[DDustiNN]

You either need a new phone or a new internet connection. My phone is out of commission for 10-15 minutes tops during installation

It literally only takes 10-15 minutes to install a beta. Nowhere close to even an hour, let alone 2. And even if you were to backup the phone every time, it still shouldn’t take anywhere close to an hour… Updates don’t take anywhere close to that long to install…

Because we’ve done it and know it doesn’t take anywhere near an hour, dude. Taking time off work to update your phone is ridiculous.

The OTA updates sometimes take forever to prepare and update which could be like 15-20 minutes, and then the update installs in like 10. So maybe a half hour at the most. But with the ipsw already downloaded on the computer it hasn’t taken longer than 10-15 minutes, in MY experience.

I did the OTA install of beta 4, coming from iOS 18. I did it at work, on 5G UW connection. The backup took nearly 30 mins. The iOS download took just a few mins, maybe 5-7 or so. The actual install process (from Apple Logo until restart/unlock) took well over 30 mins. I think it was actually close to 40. I was actually surprised at how long it took. iPhone 16 Pro.

Then one of my friends did it from home on WiFi and it only took her about 15 mins. iPhone 16 Pro Max.

So all of this arguing about how long it takes is just silly.

 

[MadRed]

Why do you need to do a backup before update? If anything goes wrong previous night backup should suffice. Or am I missing something.