Taimur Asad on July 20, 2025, 4:27 pm

How To Prepare For iOS 26 Public Beta Release

Here’s how to prepare your iPhone or iPad for the iOS 26 public beta and iPadOS 26 public beta.

Apple announced the iOS 26 software update at its WWDC event on June 9 while also confirming that the first public beta build would be made available in July. With a release expected imminently, here’s what you need to do to be ready.

We expect that Apple will make iOS 26 available to the world this September, but if you’d rather not wait, the public beta approach is worth considering.

It’s important to remember that these are still beta updates, of course, so there could be issues along the way. We suggest not installing the beta on a device that you need to work 100% of the time.

So, with iOS 26 set to go into public beta sooner rather than later, let us see what you should be doing in order to be ready.

Sign up for the public beta

You will need to sign up for the iOS 26 public beta on Apple’s website beta.apple.com before you can get started, so make sure that you do that. Once that process is completed, it’s just a matter of waiting for the public beta releases to roll in.

Backup Your Device Using iTunes / iCloud

Make sure that any devices you are going to install the public beta on are nicely backed up, just in case. You can do that by either using iCloud on the device or Finder on a Mac. If you’re still using Windows, you’ll need to use iTunes.

The iCloud route is easier and quicker, and you will find the option in Settings > iCloud > Backup. Over there, make sure the ‘iCloud Backup’ toggle is turned on. Finally, hit the ‘Back Up Now’ button to get things into momentum right away.

Restore to iOS 18.x

If you’re running a beta version of iOS 18.x, we suggest downgrading to the newest, public version of the software before updating to the iOS 26 beta. That ensures that there is less chance for something to go awry.