iOS 26: What to know about the free iPhone software update ahead of the Apple event today

It's almost time: The Apple iPhone 17 event starts today at 1PM ET — that's just hours away. If you want to follow along, you can watch the iPhone 17 launch live and follow Engadget's Apple event liveblog. In addition to the iPhone 17 lineup — including the ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air — we're also expecting to see new Apple Watch models, as well as a new AirPods Pro.

Assuming Apple sticks to tradition, we should be able to install iOS 26 about a week or so after the showcase. But you don't have to wait to test out the new features, since you can download and install the newly released public beta 6 or iOS 26 developer beta 9. (See our preview of the iOS 26 public beta release for more info.) The first thing you'll notice is a new clear design language Apple dubs Liquid ...