July 13 update: this post, first published on July 11 was updated as the first public beta is now here. Here’s what is in it, whether you should download it and what it means for the software’s general release, and that of the iPhone 18 Pro.
Apple announced the next-generation of iPhone software, iOS 27, at its Wordwide Developers Conference in June. It’s still in developer beta, but moments ago, the first public beta became available. First, here’s who the software is for and how to download it.
I’ll also look at what it means for how the rest of the software schedule will play out, plus how it will affect the release of the next iPhones this fall.
iOS 27 First Public Beta: Who It’s For
The next cycle of iPhone software, iOS 27, is compatible with every iPhone all the way back to iPhone 11. In other words, if your iPhone is compatible with iOS 26, it’ll work with iOS 27 — the compatible product list is identical.
How To Download And Install iOS 27 First Public Beta
First things first, you must be a member of the Apple Beta Software Program. Don’t worry, it’s easy and it’s free. Just sign up at beta.apple.com. You don’t need to be a developer.
Then, on your iPhone, open the Settings app and choose General and then Software Update. You’ll see Beta Updates on the next page, likely set to Off. Tap this to see all the beta options. As of Monday, July 13, it says iOS 27 Public Beta, iOS 27 Developer Beta, iOS 26 Public Beta and iOS 26 Developer Beta. If you don’t see all of these, restart the iPhone.
Tap the box marked iOS 27 Public Beta so a tick appears, tap the back arrow and you’ll shortly be presented with the beta, which you can download and install.
What’s Next For iOS 27
Assuming the smooth releases continue, there will be multiple more developer betas, each followed by a near-identical public beta. Usually, the public beta will land the day after the developer beta, sometimes two days after.
All this will come to a crescendo in September. The final beta will be what is called the release candidate. That will almost certainly be around the time of the next Apple keynote, which looks like it will be Wednesday, Sept. 9 (more on that timetable here).
The following week, likely on or around Monday, Sept. 14, will see the general release of iOS 27, which means everyone with a suitable iPhone can download it then.
iOS 27 Public Beta: Should You Install It?
Solid or not, this is still beta software. I’d avoid installing it on a critical device such as one you use every day. There will be some bugs and if they affect the particular app you need right now, it will be inconvenient, to say the least.
Below, you can read this post as it originally appeared, plus what’s in the release.
iOS 27 Schedule To Date
The story so far is that the first developer beta of iOS 27 which, like other developer betas is available to all, for free (details here), was released on Monday, June 8. That was the same day as the WWDC keynote.
The second beta landed on Monday, June 22, and the third on Monday, July 6. Talk about regular as clockwork. Every two weeks, on the dot. Here’s where it gets interesting.
In 2022, 2023 and 2024, Apple released the first public beta exactly a week after dev beta 3. Actually, in 2022, the public beta was just five days after the developer beta.
The 2025 iOS Schedule
However, something different happened last year: it was after the fourth developer beta (released on July 22, 2025) that the first public beta appeared, on July 24. It looked like Apple was taking its time with the all-new Liquid Glass design change.
All of which says that unless this year is a repeat of the 2025 schedule, there’s a strong chance that the iOS 27 first public beta will land on Monday, July 13 or Tuesday, July 14.
I think that’s the timetable Apple is following, because numerous sources have praised the software, including Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, who reported he’d been using the new Apple software. Since the first versions were released at WWDC, and in terms of bugs, they’ve been pretty solid,” he said.
On Sunday, July 12, in his latest Power On newsletter, Gurman went further in describing the public beta and predicting its arrival. “The first public betas are coming this week, I’m told,” he reported.
He also said that he has run all three beta versions of the next operating system, that is for iPhone, iPad and Mac. He again praised the solidity of the developer beta releases. “As of now, I’m not seeing any noticeable quirks and these updates — particularly iOS, iPadOS and macOS — feel quite a bit snappier and more reliable than their predecessors,” he said.
On the other hand, he also described them as “Snow Leopard-like updates, meaning they’re more about making software run more smoothly and reliably. There’s not much new here other than the Siri and other artificial intelligence features,” he went on.
He said that those into these AI updates, such as the new Siri AI, should love the new operating systems, but also pointed out that they’re not going to be available in the European Union just yet. I think there’s a lot coming, as you can read below, but Gurman felt that beyond AI changes, “there’s not a ton to look forward to.”
What’s In The iOS 27 Public Beta?
Assuming it is largely the same as the third dev beta, which is a reasonable thing to imagine, the first public beta will have a lot in it. Top of the list is Siri AI, a smarter version of the personal assistant, which now comes with its own Siri app. Note that you may have to sign up to a waitlist for Siri AI.
There are new child safety features with Screen Time allowing parents to see the apps and websites children are using, with customizable schedules and granular controls.
Apple has added AI photo editing tools which can extend images, for instance, organized tabs in Safari, upgraded Image Playground, more accessible Shortcuts and much more.
