Updated June 9 with more details of the 26 series software release dates.
Apple’s next-generation of operating software is about to be announced, on Monday, June 9 at the company’s World Wide Developers Conference. This will introduce new versions of the software that powers the iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Apple TV and more.
So, when can you download and install it? Well, like so much in life, it depends on who you are. The first people to gain access will be developers, who will be watching the WWDC keynote as keenly as anyone when it begins at 10 a.m. Pacific on June 9. And that’s when the new name will be confirmed, thought to be iOS 26 instead of the iOS 19 that you’d expect to follow the current iOS 18.
The new name is going to be standardized across the range of software platforms, such as macOS 26, iPadOS 26 and watchOS 26. Full details of this here.
Developer Beta Release Date: Monday, June 9
Traditionally, developer beta releases come the same day as the keynote. Once, the new software was available during the keynote, but the sight of thousands of developers attempting to download files at the same time must have been enough to cause the most confident of wi-fi providers a case of the heebeejeebees. Whatever the reason, it’s no longer available to download during the conference, but later the same day is most likely.
As well as iOS 26, thanks to a new naming convention that also applies for other software, we can also expect to see the first developer betas of iPadOS 26, macOS 26, watchOS 26, tvOS 26 and visionOS 26 to appear at or around the same time, again, on the same day.
Public Beta Release Date: July
Next, the software will be available for anyone who’s not a developer. Apple will announce this at the keynote but it’s almost always the month following WWDC that is specified. This enables Apple to release a couple of betas to developers, maybe even three, before taking the latest one and making it the first public beta. This promises a greater level of stability for the public to use. Even so, it’s still recommended to install the beta on a secondary device as there are likely to be issues, especially early in the beta cycle.
Both developer and public beta releases will continue through the summer, usually with increasing frequency, until the final release to the general public is ready.
General Release: September
Apple invariably releases iOS in September, coinciding with the latest iPhone series. Assuming there’s no change this year, the full general release is likely to come in about the third week of September.
Not everyone likes to jump aboard a new OS straight away, but Apple has you covered here: alongside the general release of iOS 26, there will be simultaneous releases of iOS 18 software that ensures users can enjoy the benefits of security updates while they decide when to plump for iOS 26.
Expect this to continue for at least the first two months, that is to late October or November. Eventually these extra iOS 18 updates will cease and the only way to stay up to date will be to take the leap to iOS 26.
The software will be compatible with the 2025 iPhone hardware releases, and plenty of iPhones that went on sale before that, though not all of the features which will be unveiled at WWDC will work on all iPhones — just as Apple Intelligence only features on the iPhone 16 series, iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max.
