Apple released the iOS 26 public beta
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With the release of the iOS 26 public beta, I put the Call Screen feature on iPhone to the test against the Call Screen with Android 16.
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To install the public beta, you'll need to enroll your Apple Account in the Apple Beta Software Program. Once you do, open Settings > General > Software Update > Beta Updates. Choose "iOS 26 Public Beta," then tap Back. iOS will load the beta, and you'll be able to hit Update Now when it's ready.
Updated on Thursday, July 24 at 3:40 p.m. ET — Well, it's now official: you can now sign up for the iOS 26 beta. Apple officially opened the beta program for the upcoming version of iOS, set to release this fall. You can read our original article about this topic below.
iOS 26 looks new and modern. And for once, how Apple describes it — liquid glass — makes sense: it’s a lot of layers of transparent elements overlapping and, in places, the animations are quite… liquidy. Menus and buttons will respond to your touch, with some of them coalescing around your finger and sometimes separating out into new menus.
OS 26 isn't quite ready to launch yet, but we're far enough along in the testing process that Apple is seeding the update out to millions
Apple introduced some flashy new features with the latest iOS 26 release, but Android users will recognize them right away.
In iOS 26, you'll get new tools for creating custom Genmoji using ChatGPT. According to Apple, "Genmoji and Image Playground provide users with even more opportunities for self-expression, including mixing their favorite emoji, Genmoji, and descriptions together to create brand-new images."
Assuming you're enrolled in the Apple public beta program, you can now grab the public beta directly on your iPhone. Just go to Settings, tap on General and select Software Updates. On that screen, tap on Beta Updates to find the iOS 26 beta.
Apple released the first public beta of iOS 26 on July 24, more than a month after the company announced the next iOS version at its Worldwide Developers Conference in June. That