iOS 26 first rolled out as a developer beta in June 2025, with the first public beta arriving in July 2025, and the final release landing in September 2025.

Quick Scoop

  • Apple officially confirmed that the public beta of iOS 26 would arrive in July 2025 , following the initial developer betas after WWDC in June 2025.
  • Developer Beta 1 was released on June 9, 2025 , with an updated build on June 13, 2025.
  • Public beta access opened in July 2025 (Apple’s guidance was “July,” and coverage at the time described it as “just around the corner”).
  • The later Release Candidate (near-final build) dropped on September 9, 2025 , right after Apple’s fall event, with the general release expected mid‑September 2025.

So if you’re wondering “when does the iOS 26 beta come out?” in general, the answer is:

  • Developer beta : early June 2025 (right after WWDC).
  • Public beta : July 2025 , mid‑July being the most widely reported window.

In other words, if you’re not a developer and you just want to try iOS 26 early, the key date was July 2025 , when the public beta opened up to anyone enrolled in Apple’s Beta Software Program.

At this point (February 2026), the beta period is long over and iOS 26 is fully released, with subsequent updates like iOS 26.2 and 26.3 already in circulation.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.