Every June, Apple unveils its newest operating system updates at WWDC before making them available to download in September, around the time new hardware launches. The June-to-September period is reserved for beta testing the software, and it’s a very exciting time for two groups of users. First, developers get access to betas in June, right after the WWDC keynote. They get to start work early on updating their existing apps and creating new ones in time for the fall. A month later, regular users can join Apple’s public betas and try the new designs and features ahead of the September release.
Of all operating system updates, iOS is the most exciting, which makes the public release of the newest iPhone OS beta a highly anticipated event. That’s especially true for iOS 26, which brings a new naming scheme and a brand new design language that has caused some controversy already. iOS 26 public beta 1 will give longtime iPhone users a chance to test Liquid Glass a couple months before the finalized iOS 26 software arrives. The first public beta release is taking slightly longer than expected to appear, though. Apple didn’t release iOS 26 public beta 1 last week, as expected.
But Mark Gurman thinks Apple will release the operating system this week, doubling down on a claim he made a few days ago. Gurman said last Tuesday that Apple will release the first iOS 26 public beta on July 23, or this Wednesday. Since then, the Bloomberg reporter penned a new Power On newsletter (via MacRumors), mentioning the launch window again.
Why is iOS 26 public beta 1 so late?
“All indications are that iOS 26 should go into the public beta phase this coming week,” Gurman said on Sunday. The unofficial schedule lines up with Apple’s typical schedule for first public beta releases targeting the newest iPhone OS. The public betas usually drop in mid-July, though it can happen in late June. A July 23 release for iOS 26 public beta is unusual. It’s at least a week later than what we’re used to. For example, iOS 16, iOS 17, and iOS 18 were all available in public beta before July 15 in previous years. Any further delays would get us closer to an August launch.
It’s unclear what caused the delay. I have used iOS 26 in beta from the first release, and the experience has been great overall. iOS 26 is stable, and all the apps work. Yes, there was excessive battery drain in the first days and bugs are to be expected. The transparency of Liquid Glass has been the biggest issue in iOS 26 so far. But Apple took immediate steps to fix the issues users complained about. iOS 26 beta 2 and beta 3 toned down transparency significantly. In fact, iOS 26 beta 3 might have gone a step too far.
In other words, Liquid Glass might be the reason Apple has delayed the iOS 26 public beta this year. Whatever the reason for the delay, iOS 26 public beta 1 should coincide with the iOS 26 developer beta 4 release, if Gurman’s report is accurate. Apple will also release public betas for iPadOS 26, macOS 26, watchOS 26, tvOS 26, and visionOS 26.
Longtime iPhone users who have taken part in Apple’s Beta Software Program already know what to do to get access to iOS 26, but if you need help, or if you’re trying iPhone betas for the first time, we put together a guide on how to download the iOS 26 public beta. The process is quite simple, and you can revert to iOS 18 if iOS 26 isn’t to your liking. You should take some precautions nonetheless, like backing up your data before upgrading to iOS 26.
