There’s been a lot of interest about the new cycle of iPhone software, iOS 27. In the last few hours, Apple released the first iOS 27 public beta, so anyone can install it. Here’s who it’s for, how to install it and details of first reactions.
Apple iOS 27 Public Beta: Which iPhones Are Compatible
The short answer is, if your iPhone supports the current software, iOS 26, it will handle iOS 27 as well. Specifically, that means all iPhones from the iPhone 11 series onwards.
Apple iOS 27 Public Beta: Crucial Warning
The usual caveat: even though this release has been greeted with considerable praise for its solidity and smoothness, it’s not recommended to install the public beta on your main iPhone. Things will go wrong, glitches will appear. Choose another device, please.
Note that not all features will come to all phones — Apple Intelligence is only available on the iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max and more recent models. Some elements, like expressive voices for Siri, are only on three phones: iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max and iPhone Air.
Some people were unsure about the Liquid Glass design that arrived in iOS 26 and may still be on iOS 18 instead, waiting for iOS 27 with its greater customization of the new design. These people may be among the first to upgrade to the beta.
Apple iOS 27 Public Beta: How To Install
First, sign up for beta releases at beta.apple.com, then, on your iPhone, open the Settings app and choose General, then Software Update. You’ll see Beta Updates on the next page, likely set to Off. Tap this to see all the beta options and pick iOS 27 Public Beta to download the software.
This will be a big download, varying according to which model you have. On my iPhone 17 Pro Max, for instance, the 32GB file is probably the biggest you could expect to see.
Apple iOS 27 Public Beta: First Reactions
Initial reactions have been overwhelmingly positive, with users on Reddit commenting that it’s the “best beta I have ever tested,” that “it feels how it’s supposed to feel: it just works,” and that these betas are “the most stable betas I’ve seen from Apple since I started beta testing in iOS 10.” Many are saying that it’s more stable and enjoyable than iOS 26 has been!
Apple iOS 27 Public Beta: Should You Upgrade?
The warning above is front-and-center: don’t put it on your main iPhone. That said, the reaction so far has been so positive, I’d say it’s worth taking a look now the iOS 27 public beta is here to see what the software can do (which is a lot, by the way).