The official iOS 26 public beta is now available for everyone to try out. But Apple’s seventh and latest version is only for developers. This latest developer beta is supposed to be more polished, and will hopefully bring many of the much-needed bug fixes that have caused app crashes and battery drain in previous versions.
The biggest news in iOS 26 is Liquid Glass, Apple’s new cohesive design language across all of its devices. The new operating system also brings two long-awaited phone features. Call Screening picks up unknown numbers on your behalf, asks why callers are calling, and shows you a live transcript so you can decide whether to answer the call. Its side effect, Hold Assist, listens to hold music for you and alerts you when a real person is available.
By jumping straight from iOS 18 to iOS 26, Apple aligns its mobile OS naming with its other platforms and signals a generational leap rather than the usual annual tune. It’s the biggest OS update since iOS 7, with updates and improvements to nearly every aspect of the iPhone.
Apple is expected to release iOS 26 to the general public sometime in September, but if you want to try out any of these features, you can do so right now. Here’s how you can download the iOS 26 developer beta.
Watch this: I’m amazed by iOS 26. Apple just made iPhones better
Warning: Downloading the iOS 26 developer beta is risky
Yes, the iOS 26 developer beta is free, but remember that it’s meant for developers, not everyday use. Early builds often carry bugs that can crash apps, drain your battery, overheat your phone, and generally make your device feel sluggish. Unless you need to test the software against Apple’s next release, it’s wiser to stick with the public beta on your main iPhone.
Which iPhone models support iOS 26?
As long as you own an iPhone 11 or later, you can download iOS 26. This means that the iPhone XR/XS generation is available, as long as every A13 Bionic handset is included, including the upcoming iPhone 17 models. Here is the full list of compatible iPhone models that can run iOS 26:
Apple Intelligence only works with compatible phones, which includes any iPhone 16 model and the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max.
How to prepare your iPhone to install the iOS 26 developer beta
Before you get too excited and start downloading the iOS 26 developer beta, there are a few things you need to do:
- Check your hardware first. This beta only works on iPhone 11 and later . If you want Apple’s headline-grabbing features, you’ll need an iPhone 15 Pro, 15 Pro Max, or something else in the upcoming iPhone 17 lineup .
- Update to the latest public release. Make sure your phone is already on the latest stable build (currently iOS 18.5). This helps prevent any issues that arise when updating to outdated software.
- Have a good Wi-Fi connection in the area. You want the installation to go smoothly, which means you should be connected to some pretty decent Wi-Fi.
- Enough space on your phone. To download the iOS 26 developer beta, you need at least 15 GB of space on your phone.
- Archive backup. A regular iCloud backup can be overwritten; you need one that can’t. On your Mac , connect your iPhone, open Finder , select your device, click Back Up Now , then Manage Backups , right-click the new backup, and click Archive . In the window that opens, it’s pretty similar. Open iTunes , click the top right now, find the backup , and archive it.
- Know the escape hatch. If the beta breaks your phone for some reason (it never happened to me), you’ll need to put your phone in Recovery Mode , restore iOS 18.5, and then drag that archived backup back to your device.
Once you’ve followed these steps, you’re pretty much ready to go.
How to install the iOS 26 developer beta on your iPhone
Apple now lets anyone install developer betas without paying the $99 annual fee. To do so, visit the Apple Developer website . On the device you plan to update, open the ☰ menu, select Overview , and sign in with that device’s Apple ID. Agree to the terms, check the required boxes, and tap Submit . You may also need to enable Developer Mode in Settings > Privacy & Security > About.
You can now install the iOS 26 developer beta on your phone as an over-the-air update:
- After you’ve signed up for the Apple Developer Program, you should see the option to download the iOS 26 developer beta in your settings.
- On your device, go to Settings > General > Software Update > Beta Updates and select iOS 26 Developer Beta.
- Go back and tap Download and Install under the new “iOS 26 Developer Beta” option that appears.
Finally, punch in your passcode, accept the terms, and let the installer do its thing. On a decent Wi-Fi connection, the download and reboot routine should take about 10 to 15 minutes, but this can vary. When your iPhone boots back up, you’ll be running the iOS 26 developer beta.
