Leaked Builds Suggest iOS 26 Public Beta Release Is Imminent

When will Apple release the first iOS 26 public beta? While the company has traditionally launched the first public beta of its latest iPhone software by the week of July 15, a buggier experience might have led to a delay this time around. Last week, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman suggested Apple was aiming to release the iOS 26 public beta on around July 23. Then, after making the iOS 18.6 RC version available on Monday, the company accidentally published the public beta channel of macOS Tahoe, which a few users were able to download, thanks to very specific conditions (not having Rosetta 2 installed and owning an Apple Silicon Mac).

In addition to Apple's own accidentally leak, there's even more proof pointing to the imminent release of iOS 26 public beta 1, as a famous leaker with a private X account has acknowledged the builds of the upcoming beta 4 of all the new operating systems. In all likelihood, these will roll out just before the first public beta versions of Apple's fall updates.

While Apple usually releases the public beta of a major operating system update after its third test version for developers, the company decided to make the experience more polished with iOS 26. After all, this is the biggest change to the iPhone software since iOS 7, and Apple wants to ensure that even public beta testers will have a reliable experience (even though it's still a beta).

According to the leaker, these are the builds of the upcoming beta 4:

• iOS 26 beta 4: 23A5297i
• iPadOS 26 beta 4: 23A5297i
• macOS 26 beta 4: 25A5316i
• tvOS 26 beta 4: 23J5316g
• watchOS 26 beta 4: 23R5317g
• visionOS 26 beta 4: 23M5300g

Of all these new builds, you should be aware that Apple doesn't plan to release a public beta of visionOS 26. Besides this operating system update, users will be able to try the other updates once they're available. That said, Apple should release beta 4 of iOS 26 today, followed by a public beta tomorrow. If the company sticks to tradition, its public beta usually comes 24 hours after the release of a developer's beta.

In the meantime, you can get ready for the impending launch by reading our article about how to download the iOS 26 public beta, and also learn why you should avoid downloading watchOS 26 public beta once it's available.