When will Apple release the first iOS 26 public beta?

With WWDC 2025 behind us, developers are now testing the first iOS 26 beta. Meanwhile, many iPhone owners are wondering when they will have a chance to preview the upcoming features. Here’s everything you need to know about the availability of the iOS 26 public beta.

Did Apple announce when users will be able to download the iOS 26 public beta?

Yes, Apple’s CEO Tim Cook announced during the WWDC 2025 keynote that the public beta of iOS 26 will be available in July. Apple usually releases a few betas exclusively for developers before opening up beta testing to the general public.

When should you expect the first public beta?

We expect to see iOS 26 public beta 1 between the second and third week of July. Here’s when Apple released the first public beta of previous iOS updates in the past few years:

iOS 15: June 30, 2021
iOS 16: July 11, 2022
iOS 17: July 12, 2023
iOS 18: July 15, 2024

We wouldn’t be surprised if the public beta of iOS 26 was released around July 14 or July 15.

How can you enroll in the beta program?

If you want to be one of the first to try the public beta, you need to enroll your Apple Account in the Apple Beta Software Program. Here are the steps to follow:

First, make sure you’re enrolled in the Apple Beta Software Program
On your iPhone, open the Settings app
Tap on General, and then Software Update
Tap on Beta Updates and enable iOS 26 Public Beta

These are some of the features you should expect to see on iOS 26 public beta 1

Once the public beta is available, you’ll be able to try out the following features:

All-new design: Apple offers a brand new design with the Liquid Glass UI. It’s a drastic change from the previous design language of iOS 18.
Messages app improvements: Users can screen messages from unknown senders, create polls, and generate unique backgrounds with Image Playground.
Apple Music: Alongside a revamped app, users can pin favorite songs on top of the library, in addition to several other changes.
ChatGPT improvements: ChatGPT features onscreen awareness for those who use it to power Apple Intelligence.
Genmoji and Image Playground updates: Apple says iOS 26 improves these OG Apple Intelligence features as it’s now possible to mix emoji, Genmoji, and descriptions together to create something new.