Apple has provided participants of its developer and public beta programs with a fresh batch of test builds, with sixth and seventh builds of iOS 26, iPadOS 26, and tvOS 26 now also available for download.iOS 15, iPadOS 15, and macOS 26 logos Apple issues sixth pubic and ninth developer betas of iOS 26, iPadOS 26, and tvOS 26 https://appleinsider.com/articles/21/06/06/apple-issues-sixth-public-and-ninth-developer-betas-of-ios-15-ipados-15-and-tvos-15. Members of the public can sign up now to test the features before they reach a broader audience, and provide feedback to shape the performance and reliability of the tools.
What’s new in iOS 26 and iPadOS 26
The headline change is Liquid Glass, a systemwide refresh that Apple describes as a transparency-forward design language. Icons, navigation bars and menus have become slightly more refractive and reflective of ambient colour; pop-out menus and a shrinking tab bar give a more tactile and rounded impression. It’s the gutsiest aesthetic shake-up on iPhone and iPad since we all dropped skeuomorphism several years ago, and it was designed to feel cohesive across Apple’s platforms.
Apple Intelligence is behind a handful of marquee features. Visual Intelligence can analyze screenshots to deliver relevant details, and Live Translation in Messages, Phone, and FaceTime helps overcome language barriers in calls and chats. The Wallet app takes on tracking orders, Reminders gets smarter about organization, Image Playground will let you produce whimsical, cartoon-style images from text prompts. Genmoji takes it a step further, however, by allowing two or more emoji to be remixed into a single, shareable one.
Photos enjoy a depth enhancement with Spatial Scene, giving some 2D images a bit more of a 3D look. Safari offers a sort of streamlined browsing, and the Phone app adds Call Screening and Hold Assists to cut down on time wasted dealing with unknown callers and support lines. Messages is also host to custom group backgrounds and polling options helping with group decisions. Apple Music gets a DJ-style AutoMix to keep the music mash-ups going, CarPlay is updated with a new look, the Apple Games app finally corrals games and progress, and longstanding Mac app Preview makes its first appearance on the iPhone.
macOS Tahoe 26 receives a consistent makeover
macOS Tahoe 26 One the Mac, macOS Tahoe 26 layers on Liquid Glass onto the desktop: app icons, folders, Dock items, in-app controls, menus, Control Center and the Menu Bar all take on Liquid Glass. Personalization goes deeper still, with the ability to customize Control Center modules, tweak the Menu Bar, and tailor folder, app icon, and widget styles on the basis of workflow preference.
Safari brings a cleaner tab design that makes it easier to see the web page and more of your tabs at the same time, and powerful new tabs that let you get a lot done with just one click Safari introduces a new sidebar which features your Bookmarks, Reading List, and Shared links in one place and a new start page that now can be customized with any background image and section such as your Reading List and iCloud Tabs Photo: Apple
A new Phone app comes to Mac, which supports Wi‑Fi calling, and the Mac combines the same Call Screening and Hold Music features on iPhone. Spotlight gets a big upgrade too, with a better search quality and the ability to perform hundreds of quick actions — such as setting timers, starting workouts or toggling system controls — without opening an app.
For players and game developers, the new Games app brings a Game Overlay, and the platform gains support for Metal 4, Apple’s newest graphics framework. Performance numbers are never mentioned by Apple, but there are usually shader compiler, rendering pipeline and debugging improvements that have a material impact on frame pacing, battery efficiency and image quality in actual titles.
tvOS 26 and beyond the one device
Public testers can download tvOS 26 along with the other releases, and it allows Apple to maintain feature parity and design consistency from the smallest screens to the largest. And while this build isn’t spotlighting any one change, tvOS updates also commonly zero in on media reliability, controller support, and Home integration—three areas that count the most for den and roommates setups.
Installing the public betas
iPhone and iPad Register for Apple’s public beta program, then head to Settings > General > Software Update > Beta Updates and opt into the iOS 26 or iPadOS 26 Public Beta channel. You should see the update after a brief check for new updates.
Mac: Open System Preferences > General > Software Update, choose Beta Updates, then switch to the macOS 26 Public Beta. Follow the instructions to download and install.
Apple TV: Go to Settings > System > Software Updates and turn on Get Beta Updates to access the tvOS 26 public beta on your device once it appears for your model.
As always, you should back up before installing pre-release software. Betas can impact power and battery life, third‑party app compatibility or accessory compatibility. Per Apple release notes, the updates offers bug fixes ‘including some issues reported by customers in the previous release, and delivers security updates’ with the company recommending that you install it on secondary systems first.
Why this build matters
This sixth public beta is equivalent to the ninth developer beta, which traditionally means that features are largely locked down; there will be subsequent polishing, stabilization and accessibility and localization work. It matters for developers who are looking for reliable targets to ship app updates, and for the enthusiasts who must decide whether the new Liquid Glass design and Apple Intelligence features are ready for their every day.
Apple discussed a lot of this release family at its annual developer conference, and the developer notes reflect how far reaching the changes are across the stack — from UI refreshes to graphics and search. Analytic firms like Mixpanel have previously monitored adoption rates and seen quick uptake of major iOS releases after they ship, frequently reaching well beyond 50 percent in the first month, which is why these late-stage betas are important: They shape the experience that most users will have at launch.
For the moment, this round affords testers with a closer look and feel at Apple’s upcoming next-generation versions of its platforms — tied together by a new design language, deeper levels of intelligence, and under the hood enhancements that are supposed to make performing daily tasks faster and more expressive across iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple TV.