Countless iPhone owners are champing at the bit in anticipation of the first iOS 26 public beta, but Apple is taking its sweet time to appease them. In recent years, Apple has released the first public beta for major iOS updates by the middle of July. The iOS 16 public beta arrived on July 11, 2022. In 2023, iOS 17 public beta 1 debuted on July 12. Last year, Apple rolled out iOS 18 public beta 1 on July 15. So, where is the iOS 26 public beta?
According to Mark Gurman, Apple’s Beta Software Program members should not expect to get their hands on iOS 26 until around July 23. As far as I can tell, that’s the longest iPhone owners have ever had to wait for a public beta of a major iOS release after its reveal. Unfortunately, the reporter didn’t provide any additional insights that might explain why the public beta is taking so long. That said, we can make some educated guesses.
Where is iOS 26 public beta 1?
First, let’s take a look back at the last decade of iOS public beta 1 release dates:
- iOS 9 public beta 1 | July 9, 2015
- iOS 10 public beta 1 | July 7, 2016
- iOS 11 public beta 1 | June 26, 2017
- iOS 12 public beta 1 | June 25, 2018
- iOS 13 public beta 1 | June 24, 2019
- iOS 14 public beta 1 | July 9, 2020
- iOS 15 public beta 1 | June 30, 2021
- iOS 16 public beta 1 | July 11, 2022
- iOS 17 public beta 1 | July 12, 2023
- iOS 18 public beta 1 | July 15, 2024
In some instances, Apple has been able to rush the first public beta out just a couple of weeks post-WWDC. Over the past few years, the company has been expending more effort on ironing out the kinks before throwing open the door to the general public. Given the significance of iOS 26 — from the new naming convention to the Liquid Glass redesign — it’s no real surprise that Apple wants to make the best first impression that it can.
While the response to the changes in iOS 26 has generally been positive, each new developer beta has brought massive changes with it. Complaints about the Liquid Glass design language rained down after the first beta rolled out in June. As a result, Apple watered down Liquid Glass in the third developer beta. You might not be surprised to learn that this set off a firestorm from the iPhone owners who liked the design’s bold direction.
Presumably, Apple wants to strike a balance to make both groups happy. Based on the delayed arrival of the first iOS 26 public beta, I am willing to venture a guess that it’s not a simple fix. It is just a guess, though, and the level of Liquid Glass’s glassiness might not even make the top 10 of Apple’s current list of major issues and concerns.
As frustrating as the delay might be, we hope it will result in a more stable release than we’re all accustomed to from the first public beta. In the meantime, you can read about how to download the iOS 26 public beta on your iPhone when it does finally launch.
