Introduction

Apple officially rolled out the iOS 26 public beta, giving iPhone users a glimpse into what is on the horizon in the release version. Whether you are looking for information on new features, performance enhancements, or how to install it on your iPhone, this is an all-inclusive guide to help you reach your destination.

In this article, you will learn:

What's new in iOS 26

Which devices are supported with it

How it performs

How to download and install the public beta securely

Let's begin.

iOS 26 Public Beta: What's New?

Apple is focusing on personalization, privacy, and performance in iOS 26 public beta. Below are the most important new features you need to know:

1. Redesigned Lock Screen Widgets

You can now add interactive widgets like weather, calendar items, battery health, and smart home controls onto your lock screen. You can also personalize font size, colors, and background blur effects.

2. Smarter Siri with Offline Capabilities

Siri is now offline-capable for most operations like setting a reminder, playing music, and searching your calendar. It also responds faster and uses on-device machine learning to improve voice recognition.

3. Smarter Notification Clustering

Notifications cluster smarter by time, app use, and relevance. You can silence or prioritize clusters in one click.

4. Smart Multitasking (Stage Manager on iPhone)

Adopted from iPadOS, Stage Manager lets users open and move several windows of apps in a floating design—ultimately making multitasking smoother.

Apple may not have joined the foldable trend yet, but Android brands like OPPO are pushing the limits with upcoming devices like the Find N5. Read about the OPPO Find N5 here.

5. Live Translate Camera

The camera can now live-translate text directly in real time, for more than 30 languages. Just point and read—great for travelers.

6. Redesigned Control Center

Control Center is cleaner, customizable, and now accepts third-party app shortcuts.

7. Battery Health Boost Mode

A new mode enables you to extend battery life by smoothening charging behavior, reducing battery stress over time.

8. AI-Driven Photos App

iOS 26 uses AI to create smart albums, eliminate blurry photos, and even offer up photos to delete for additional space.

9. Gaming Mode

Similar to macOS Sonoma, iPhones get a gaming mode as well to boost performance by reducing background processes and making the touch more responsive.

10. Accessibility Enhancements

The voice control becomes more accurate. There is also an "Eye Tracking" addition, and sound detection has been improved for the deaf.

iOS 26 Compatible Devices

The following is the list of compatible iPhones for the iOS 26 public beta:

• iPhone 15, 15 Plus, 15 Pro, 15 Pro Max
• iPhone 14 Series
• iPhone 13 Series
• iPhone 12 Series
• iPhone 11 Series
• iPhone XS, XS Max, XR
• iPhone SE (2nd Generation and newer)

Pre-iPhone 8 devices are no longer supported.

While iOS 26 brings new life to older iPhones, Android users are also seeing improvements—especially with the latest 5G update for Google Pixel 6a. Explore the Pixel 6a update and how it compares.

iOS 26 Beta Performance

iOS 26 beta is extremely smooth for a first public beta. Following early testing:

Battery Life: Marginally better than iOS 25 overall

App Launch Time: 10–15% faster on iPhone 14 and newer

Animations: Smoother, especially when multitasking

Crashes: Few apps still occasionally crash (largely third-party)

Heat Management: Improved, especially when gaming

That said, this is a beta release, so the occasional bugs, app incompatibilities, and other unexpected behavior can be expected.

iOS 26 Public Beta Download Link & Release Date

Apple first announced iOS 26 in early June at WWDC 2025 with some quirky new features and system changes. Following the developer beta announcement, iOS 26 public beta available on July 23, 2025.

This follows Apple's typical trend of making public betas available a couple of weeks after the developer release. When live, it will be accessible via the Apple Beta Software Program.

Official Download Link

Visit Apple Beta Software Program and sign in with your Apple ID to enroll.

Make sure to back up your iPhone via iCloud or iTunes before installing the beta.

How to Install iOS 26 Public Beta (Step-by-Step)

Step 1: Check Compatibility

Make sure your iPhone is on the above supported list.

Step 2: Enroll in Apple Beta Program

Visit beta.apple.com → Sign In → Enroll Your Devices.

Step 3: Download Beta Profile

Download Apple's iOS 26 beta configuration profile.

Step 4: Install the Profile

Go to Settings > General > VPN & Device Management → Tap on the downloaded profile and install it.

Step 5: Update Your iPhone

Upon reboot, go to Settings > General > Software Update → iOS 26 Public Beta will appear → Tap Download and Install.

How to Exit iOS Public Beta

If you see too many bugs, you can exit from the beta program:

Unenroll from Beta: Visit beta.apple.com and deprovision your device.

Restore using iTunes/Finder: Download current public iOS 25 build, and restore your iPhone in DFU mode.

Wait for Stable Release of iOS 26: Simply update as usual once stable iOS 26 releases.

Tip: Downgrading will erase your data, so back up first.

Exclusive Insights of iOS Public Beta

Best blogs teach the essentials, but these are underappreciated iOS 26 features you probably never heard of:

1. Offline Map Downloads

You can now download full city or country maps to access offline when navigating—just like Google Maps.

2. Smart Charging Zones

iOS 26 charges speed based on your locations, like home or office, to save battery life.

3. Hibernation Mode for Apps

Apps that you have not opened for over 30 days are put in low-resource hibernation mode to save space and RAM.

4. Emergency SOS over Satellite (Additional Countries)

Launched to India, Brazil, and Southeast Asia—most useful for tourists.

5. Depth Control for Video Camera

You can now adjust background blur while recording, not later.

These features are not widely covered, but they actually matter to the user experience.

As Apple enhances AI on iPhones, Google’s Gemini 2.5 model is pushing boundaries in conversational intelligence. Discover Gemini 2.5’s full capabilities and what it means for the future of AI.

Final Thoughts

The iOS 26 public beta is moving in the right direction with true performance, customization, and everyday usability upgrades. If you're not bothered about the occasional bug and want to see the iPhone's future before anyone else, it's not worth a try.

However, backup your device and move with caution.

FAQs

1. Is the public iOS 26 beta out?

Yes, the iOS 26 public beta is released on July 23, 2025, and is available for supported iPhones.

2. How do I get access to iOS 26 beta?

Visit beta.apple.com, sign in using your Apple ID, sign up your device, and install the beta profile.

3. How do I install iOS 26?

After the profile download, go to Settings > General > Software Update and install iOS 26 public beta.

4. Will beta users get iOS 18?

No, iOS 18 is an older build. Beta users will stay on iOS 26 and continue to receive its updates.

5. Is the iOS 18 public beta free?

Yes, all Apple public betas—are free, including iOS 18 and iOS 26.

6. How to exit iOS public beta?

Unenroll your device from Apple Beta Program, backup your data, and restore from a safe iOS version via iTunes/Finder.