TL; DR
- According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the iOS 16 public beta could be released this week. Gurman believes the public beta may launch on either Wednesday, July 22, 2025, or around that time.
- Regarding the delay, it could be the major redesign and the revisions Apple had to make in response to the criticism about reduced visibility (due to the use of transparent visual layers).
- Along with his prediction about iOS 26, Gurman has also mentioned how Apple could move on and start working on iOS 27.
Shouldn’t iOS 26’s public beta be available by now? Yes, but this year is a bit different, as the Cupertino giant is working on one of the most significant overhauls in a few years. As already seen in the developer beta, iOS 26 bears little resemblance to iOS 18.
However, given Apple’s track record with public betas, it appears the company is taking its time with iOS 26.
Also Read: iOS 26 is Official: Check Out 30 New Features
iOS 26 Public Beta Could Come Out This Week
According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the iOS 16 public beta could be released this week. Gurman believes the public beta may launch on either Wednesday, July 22, 2025, or around that time. Along with iOS 26, we should also get the public betas for iPadOS 26, macOS 26, watchOS 26, and tvOS 26.
Until now, Apple has released the public beta of its new operating system by the middle of July. However, this year, it looks like the iOS-maker is running a little behind schedule, and we can attribute that to the extent of changes iOS 26 offers.
iOS 26 Is A Major Visual Overhaul
Apple already gave a glimpse of what iOS 26 and the Liquid Glass design language will look like at the Worldwide Developers Conference in June 2025. Since then, iOS 26 has remained available as a developer beta, accessible only to users with a developer account on Apple.
With the public beta, iOS 26 will reach a larger number of compatible iPhones, as more users will want to get their hands on the latest operating system. We also know that the public beta is significantly more stable (and less buggy) than the developer beta.
Hence, some iPhone users might install the iOS 26 public beta on their primary device (and I’m willing to take that risk as well).
For those catching up, anyone can sign up to receive the public beta of an upcoming iOS update for free. However, it is always recommended to back up your device to iCloud or an external device before installing a beta update.
Why is iOS 26 Public Beta Taking More Time?
Regarding the delay, it could be the major redesign, the revisions Apple had to make in response to the criticism about reduced visibility (due to the use of transparent visual layers), and achieving the right balance between making iOS 26 look like a significant upgrade over iOS 18, but not going overboard with the reflections.
However, Gurman remains confident about the timely release of iOS 26’s stable version, which should coincide with the public availability of the iPhone 17 series (later in September 2025).
Also Read: WWDC 2025: How to Install iOS 26 on Your iPhone?
Apple Will Begin Working on iOS 27 Soon
Along with his prediction about iOS 26, Gurman has also mentioned how Apple could move on and start working on iOS 27. This particular operating system version is expected to be released simultaneously with Apple’s first folding iPhone, which could show up at the September 2026 launch event. Therefore, it may feature several large-screen or foldable-related features.
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