The First Public Beta of iOS 26 Is Out, and Here’s Why You Shouldn’t Install It
iOS 26 is on the way. Apple announced for the first time the last update of iPhones during WWDC 2025, revealing new features, such as the “Liquid Glass” overhaul, the first major overhaul of the camera application over the years and the live translation for all Apple Supported devices.
Apple does not plan to publish iOS 26 to the public up to a certain time this fall. However, you can try it now, if you have a compatible iPhone, by installing the public beta version iOS 26 (not to be confused with the beta developer). The fact is that I would not recommend you try it.
The two types of beta iOS
Apple manages two types of beta: a beta developer and a public beta version. The beta developer, which works from WWDC in June, is exclusively intended for software developers to install and test their applications with iOS 26. In this way, they can update their own applications to work well with the new update of the operating system, and report all OS level problems. These beta come out first, and are generally the most puffed in a version of iOS.
Then there is the public beta version, which Apple has just launched today. This beta version is intended for the general public interested in trying new features and modifications before their launch in the fall. The fact is that it comes after more than a month of testing Beta: iOS 26 Public Beta 1 is technically iOS 26 Developer Beta 4, which means that this first overview of public testers is really the fourth time that Apple has tested a version of iOS 26 on the beta version.
You should probably not install the public beta version iOS 26
It is tempting, given all the new features and modifies that Apple added this year, to install the beta iOS 26 version on your iPhone, but I generally recommend it against. Betas, by their nature, are unfinished software. The interest of a beta version is to test a new update to search for bugs, instability and incompatibility. The developers then solve these problems before publishing the software to the public as a whole.
By installing the iOS 26 beta, you introduce an unstable version of iOS on your iPhone. You can find your iPhone difficult to use or, in the worst case, impossible to use. And if you need to erase the beta version of your iPhone, you will probably need to install a clean version of iOS 18, which could cause data loss if you are normally relying on a backup.
A warning: if you are going to manage the beta version, you better direct the public beta version now that it is here. While anyone records his Apple account as a developer can manage the developer’s beta version, these beta tends to be more buzzes, because Apple publishes them first before opening them to public testers. At least, if you perform the public beta version, you are running software that has gone through certain initial tests, so the possibility of catastrophic buckets is much lower.
How to install the beta iOS 26 version
Credit: Lifehacker
Although I do not advise you, you have your choice between the management of the beta version of the iOS 26 developer, or the public beta version iOS 26. Apple Betas developers were exclusive to developers with a paid license of $ 99. This has forbidden the majority of the public to try it early, although some have found downloads on the Internet anyway. But in recent years, Apple has made you free to register at least to be a developer, who is now everything you need to access Dev Beta. Now that the public beta version is out, Apple will probably publish the Dev Beta 24 hours before its public counterpart, you can therefore consider this the “early” version of each beta.
To install the beta developer, you will need to register your Apple account in the Apple Developer program. Connect with your Apple identifier here and accept all the conditions. From there, open the parameter application, then go to General> Software update> Beta updates. Here you should have the possibility of selecting “iOS 26 Developer Beta” once available. Hit Back Top left, allow iOS to load the beta version, then strike Update.
What do you think so far?
To install the public beta version, you will need to register your Apple account in Apple Beta software. Once you have done so, open Settings> General> Software update> Beta updates. Choose “iOS 26 public beta”, then press Back. iOS will charge the beta version and you can hit Update When it’s ready.
What iPhones are compatible with iOS 26?
Of course, to install iOS 26, your iPhone must be compatible with it. Unfortunately, Apple has ax the iPhone XS, XS Max and XR from this year update. This means that the following iPhones are compatible with iOS 26:
What’s new with iOS 26?
Apple has announced a multitude of new features for this software update. There is a whole new design called “Liquid Glass”, which is based on the way in which light and objects appear through the glass. It may seem pretentious, but, to be honest, I dig the design: it is minimalist and seems to have great attention to detail. Apple has undergone design changes for liquid glass throughout this beta cycle, and I can’t wait to test it.
Live translation can translate audio and text in the same way, so you can have bilingual conversations without knowing another language. Visual Intelligence, which allows you to analyze the subjects with your camera, now works with everything on the screen of your iPhone, which should make the functionality even more useful. Genmoji and Image Playground now allows you to combine two AI images in one, and the shortcuts now have an Apple intelligence support.
The telephone application obtains an overhaul, as well as new features which should reduce spam: calls for calls, which asks the appellants of their information before bringing it back to you and keeping the assistance, which allows you to know when a live agent is available on a call. You can also detect texts in the messages application, and implement personalized backgrounds and generate surveys. Group cats now take care of the entry indicators. You will also see a redesigned camera application when you take a photo for the first time in iOS 26.
