Everything you need to know about iOS 26 beta release: How to download it on your iPhone, new Apple features like Liquid Glass and more

Waiting until the fall can feel like ages when you're ready to upgrade your iPhone to iOS 26. But there's good news: you can test out all the features now by downloading and installing Apple's public beta, which CEO Tim Cook says is (with the other current beta operating systems) "by far the most popular developer betas we’ve had," 9to5Mac reports. We also previewed the iOS 26 public beta release, which shows off the fresh home and lock screen redesign we've been asking to see for years. Called Liquid Glass, the new translucent look will extend across all of Apple's upcoming operating systems. The overhaul is one of several big changes coming to iOS, macOS, iPadOS and the rest of Apple's software suite, all of which were showcased during the company's WWDC keynote on June 9.

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