Last week, Apple finished WWDC 25 and then released the first developer preview of iOS 26. This early release lets developers (and the most eager fans) try out features and settings that Apple showed off on stage at Apple Park, such a big redesign and AI enhancements for the iPhone OS.

Liquid Glass is the largest new feature. It’s Apple’s new design language that works on all of its devices and looks like a lens. Messages and FaceTime both have Live Translation built in to let you talk to people in other languages. Call Screening is a new version of Live Voicemail that answers calls from unknown numbers for you, asks why the caller is calling, and offers a live transcript so you may decide whether to answer or let it go to voicemail. Hold Assist, its companion, listens to the hold music for you and lets you know as soon as a real person picks up. And there’s a lot more.

Apple is synchronizing the names of its mobile operating systems with the names of its other platforms by going from iOS 18 to iOS 26. This shows that the company is making a big change instead of just making little improvements every year. This is the greatest upgrade to the iPhone’s operating system since iOS 7. It fixes and improves almost every component of the phone.

You may test out any of these features right now if you want to. This is how to get iOS 26.

See this: I’m impressed with iOS 26. Apple Just Improved the iPhone

Before you download iOS 26, a short caution

Yes, the iOS 26 developer beta is free, but keep in mind that it is just for developers and not for everyday usage. Early versions typically include issues that may crash applications, deplete your power, make your phone overheat, and overall make your device seem slow. If you don’t need to test software against Apple’s next release, it’s better to stay with the public beta, which will come out next month, on your primary iPhone.

A fake version of the iPhone 17 Pro
When the iPhone 17 comes out, it will work with iOS 26.
What iPhone models work with iOS 26?
You can get iOS 26 if you have an iPhone 11 or later. That implies that the iPhone XR and XS are no longer available, but all A13 Bionic phones after that, including the next iPhone 17 models, are. This is the complete list of iPhone models that can run iOS 26:

The iPhone 11 and the iPhone 11 Pro
The iPhone 11 Pro Max
iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Mini
iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max
iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Mini
iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max
iPhone SE (2nd generation and later)
iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, and iPhone 14 Pro
The iPhone 14 Pro Max
iPhone 15 iPhone 15 Plus
Pro iPhone 15
iPhone 15 Pro Max
iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus
The iPhone 16 Pro
Max Pro for the iPhone 16
The iPhone 17 series has not yet been introduced.
Apple Intelligence only works on phones that are compatible, such the iPhone 16 and the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max.

Things to know before you download the iOS 26 developer beta
You need to perform a few things before you get too enthusiastic and start downloading the iOS 26 developer beta:

First, check your hardware. This beta only works on iPhones 11 and later. To get the best Apple Intelligence capabilities, you’ll need an iPhone 15 Pro, 15 Pro Max, or any of the new iPhone 17 models.
Get the most recent public release. Make sure your phone is already on the most recent stable version, which is iOS 18.5 right now. This helps avoid problems that might happen when you update using old software.
Make sure your Wi-Fi works well. You want the installation to run well, therefore you should have good Wi-Fi.
Make sure your phone has adequate space. To download the iOS 26 developer beta, your phone needs at least 15GB of free space.
Make a backup of your archive. You require an iCloud backup that can’t be overwritten. Connect your iPhone to your Mac, open Finder, pick your device, and then click Back Up Now > Manage Backups. Right-click the new backup and choose Archive. It’s pretty much the same on Windows. Open iTunes, choose “Back Up Now,” find the backup in Preferences, and save it.
Know how to get out. If the beta destroys your phone for any reason (this has never happened to me), you’ll have to put the phone in Recovery Mode, restore iOS 18.5, and then pull that archived backup back onto the device.
After doing these things, you’re almost ready to travel.

How to put the iOS 26 developer beta on your iPhone

Apple now lets anybody install developer betas for free, without having to pay the $99 yearly charge. To accomplish this, go to the Apple Developer site on the device you want to update, open the ☰ menu, click Account, and sign in using that device’s Apple ID. Check the boxes that are necessary, agree to the conditions, and then hit Submit. You may also need to turn on Developer Mode in Settings > Privacy and Security.

You may now install the iOS 26 developer beta on your phone as an update over the air:

Once you join up for the Apple Developer program, you should be able to find the option to download the iOS 26 developer beta in your settings.
Go to Settings > General > Software Update > Beta Updates on your smartphone and choose the iOS 26 Developer Beta.
Go back and click on the new “iOS 26 Developer Beta” option. Then click on Download and Install.
The developer beta for iOS 26 is 15.28GB big.
Nelson Aguilar/CNET took these screenshots.
Last, enter your passcode, agree to the terms and conditions, and let the installation do its job. The download-and-reboot process should take around 10 to 15 minutes on a good Wi-Fi connection, but this might change. When you turn your iPhone back on, you’ll be using the iOS 26 developer beta.