iOS 26 Public Beta Expected This Week; First iOS 27 Details Surface
Exciting news for Apple enthusiasts! The first public beta of iOS 26 is expected to drop this week. That's according to Mark Gurman, who's usually pretty spot-on with these things. He mentioned that all signs point towards the public beta phase kicking off. If you're eager to get your hands on the latest and greatest, now's your chance.
Remember when you had to pay a yearly fee to access developer betas? Thankfully, those days are gone. Now, anyone with an Apple Developer account can technically dive in. However, for most of us, waiting for the public beta is the smarter move. It's generally more stable and less likely to cause headaches.
Alongside iOS 26, we should also see public betas for iPadOS 26, macOS 26, tvOS 26, watchOS 26, and even HomePod software 26. And here's a first: Apple's planning a public beta for its next major AirPods firmware update. It seems everyone is getting a piece of the pie, which will allow for great feedback about new features!
There's one exception: visionOS 26 won't be getting a public beta, according to Apple's beta website. That's a bummer for those of you with Apple Vision Pros. However, I'm sure that the system is stable enough for daily usage. And if not, it will be shortly!
If you're thinking of joining the Apple Beta Software Program, it's free and easy to sign up. But a word of warning: always back up your devices before installing any beta software. Trust me, you don't want to lose all your data because of a buggy update. I've learned that lesson the hard way in the past.
Looking further down the road, there's already talk about iOS 27. Gurman says Apple will soon be starting development on it, with a focus on features designed for the long-rumored foldable iPhone. If that's true, it sounds like Apple is finally serious about entering the foldable market. Can you imagine how amazing that would be?
1 Image of iOS 26:
Source: Mac Rumors