Apple today provided developers and public beta testers who have an iPhone 11 with a new beta of iOS 26. Apple did not seed the iPhone 11 version

Looking at the home screens, the primary difference you'll find is that in iOS 26 the background of the dock and the search option that sits in between the dock and the home screen icons are more transparent and have a sheen to the edges, whereas in iOS 18, these are slightly darker.

Apple has confirmed iOS 26’s public launch this fall, following the release of beta 4 to developers and testers with major UI and Apple Intelligence updates.

Testing with developer and public beta versions went smoothly for even the oldest supported models. But there are safety measures if upgrading to the beta or release version goes awry.

It means iPhone owners can now download the iOS 26 public beta, iPad owners get access to iPadOS 26, Mac users can now check out macOS Tahoe, while Watch wearers have the option to experience the watchOS 26 public beta. All ahead of the official releases later this year (likely mid-September).

Before Apple turns all its attention to iOS 26, there’s another iPhone update on the horizon, and it’s very nearly here.

Apple’s first iOS 26 public beta offers an early taste of a major software overhaul. Here are the biggest changes and features we tested.

Assuming you're enrolled in the Apple public beta program, you can now grab the public beta directly on your iPhone. Just go to Settings, tap on General and select Software Updates. On that screen, tap on Beta Updates to find the iOS 26 beta.

Apple announced in June that the release of iOS 26 would first appear as developer betas as usual, with the first public beta set for July. When it reaches general release it will be on the 2025 releases, iPhone 17 series, as well the iPhone 16 series and plenty of much earlier models.

In the Settings app, go to Accessibility > Touch > Back Tap and choose one of two options: double tap or triple tap. You should see a list of actions you can run by tapping the back of your iPhone, like opening your camera, turning on the flashlight and scrolling up and down. Tap an action or shortcut to enable it with Back Tap.

Learn how to downgrade iOS 26 to iOS 18 safely without losing data. Follow this step-by-step guide for a seamless transition.