iOS 26 & iPadOS 26 Public Beta 2 Now Available

What exactly was released — and when?

Apple released iOS 26 Public Beta 2 and iPadOS 26 Public Beta 2 in early August 2025 as the next step in the public testing cycle. The public beta release mirrors the developer channel’s recent beta cadence and corresponds to the fifth developer build in Apple’s internal testing sequence. Expect these updates to keep refining the “Liquid Glass” design and Apple Intelligence features as Apple approaches a full public launch — commonly timed to a September release that coincides with Apple’s new iPhone launch window.

Major highlights in Public Beta 2 (overview)

Public Beta 2 is largely iterative: Apple is polishing design elements, fixing bugs, and restoring small but important interactions that testers flagged in Beta 1 and earlier developer betas. Notable areas touched in this release include:

Design polish & Liquid Glass refinements — tweaks to translucency, icon treatment, and animations across the system and apps.
Apple Intelligence updates — improved Visual Intelligence, screenshot actions, and on-device AI features that assist with translations, extraction of information from images, and smarter suggestions in apps like Reminders and Shortcuts.
Camera & small UX toggles — e.g., a new option to reverse the Camera mode swipe direction.
Mail & AirDrop UI tweaks — the return of the “Select” button in Mail and a redesigned AirDrop icon in some places.
CarPlay improvements — widgets for CarPlay, Tapbacks in Messages on CarPlay, Live Activities, and a compact incoming call view so navigation isn’t obscured.
iPad Pencil updates — new tools like a reed pen that emulate calligraphy-style strokes (pressure + angle sensitivity), appearing in Notes, Freeform, and other creative apps on iPad.

These are preview-level features — expect more refinements and possibly further feature toggles as Apple moves through the beta cycle.

Deep dive: design language — Liquid Glass

One of the most visible changes in iOS 26 is Apple’s Liquid Glass visual language. Think translucency taken further: app icons, widgets, control surfaces and system chrome have more reflective, refractive materials and subtle animation. Apple applies Liquid Glass as a theme system-wide — Lock Screen, Home Screen, app icons and CarPlay — aiming for a coherent visual identity across devices. The effect is more than cosmetic: it’s intended to make information stand out while preserving legibility and focus.

Why it matters for users and designers:

Designers should expect slightly different spacing, iconography choices, and widget treatments.
Users will notice more translucent surfaces and subtle motion; small performance differences might be visible on older hardware.
CarPlay now reflects the same language for a consistent in-car experience.

Apple Intelligence — practical AI features in iOS 26

Apple continues to ship “Apple Intelligence” features that run on-device or as privacy-preserving cloud-assisted experiences. Public Beta 2 includes iterative Apple Intelligence improvements, focusing on:

Visual Intelligence: improved ability to analyse screenshots, extract phone numbers, addresses, or relevant actions (copy text, look up places, create reminders).
Real-time translation & language tools: faster or more integrated translations inside Phone, Messages, and FaceTime (some features use preinstalled language packs).
Shortcuts & Reminders enhancements: Shortcuts get better integrations with AI tools (some betas showed connectors to third-party LLMs in test configurations), while Reminders can intelligently extract tasks from notes and emails.
Wallet & Messages: smarter suggestions for tracking orders in Wallet, and inline poll suggestions or quick actions in Messages.

Important note: Some Apple Intelligence functions are hardware-gated (they require newer chipsets for on-device ML acceleration). That means a handful of features are only available on A17-pro/A18 or M-series hardware. Check your device model if a feature is missing.

iPadOS 26 — Pencil, Productivity & Mac-like windowing

iPadOS 26 is following the same redesign path as iOS but leans heavier into productivity features:

Reed pen & Pencil toolset expansions — a reed pen tool that varies stroke width by pressure and angle, giving calligraphy-style control in Notes, Freeform, and other pen-enabled apps. If you use an Apple Pencil for creative work, this is a fun and useful addition.
Improved multitasking and windowing — iPadOS continues to nudge toward Mac-like multitasking (better keyboard/trackpad workflows and window controls).
New Preview app & PDF workflows — better PDF preview and markup inside native apps and system-level actions for documents and images.
Feature parity caveats — some iPadOS features require newer iPad models (M1/M2/M3)—check the compatibility list below.

Notable small-but-useful changes in Public Beta 2

These small tweaks often determine the quality-of-life experience for daily users:

A toggle to change the Camera mode swipe direction for users who prefer a different gesture direction.
Return of the Select button in Mail for easier message selection and bulk actions.
Redesigned the AirDrop icon in several locations.
Various accessibility tweaks and refinements across the OS (voice control, dynamic type, and display accommodations).

These are the types of changes you’ll notice after the thermals and battery settle that follow any major install.

Compatibility — which iPhones and iPads can run iOS 26/iPadOS 26?

Apple published — and third-party outlets confirmed — lists of compatible devices for iOS 26 and iPadOS 26. In short, iOS 26 supports relatively recent iPhones (devices with A13 or newer typically), while iPadOS 26 supports a broad range of iPad models — though some advanced features are limited to M-series or the newest A-series chips.

iPhones compatible with iOS 26 (high-level list): iPhone 11 and newer models, iPhone SE (2nd gen & later), all iPhone 12/13/14/15/16 families (including Pro and Pro Max models). For the full, canonical list, see the compatibility roundup — but if your iPhone is newer than 2019’s iPhone 11, you’re likely covered.

iPads compatible with iPadOS 26 (high-level list):

iPad Pro (M4 and later; many Pro models from 2018 onward are supported, but feature availability varies)
iPad Air (M2/M3 and some earlier Air models with A-series chips)
iPad (8th generation and later)
iPad mini (5th generation and later)
Detailed lists from 9to5Mac, MacRumors and iClarified break down feature availability per model — check those before installing if you rely on a specific iPad-only feature (like the reed pen or certain multitasking flows).

How to download and install iOS 26/iPadOS 26 Public Beta 2 (step-by-step)

If you want to join the public beta and test Public Beta 2, follow these steps carefully — and please back up your device first.

Step 1 — Decide whether to use a primary device
Beta releases can be buggy. If you rely on your phone for work, banking, or photography, consider installing it on a secondary device. If you don’t have one, ensure you have a full backup (see step 2).

Step 2 — Back up your iPhone/iPad

For best safety, perform a full encrypted backup to your computer via Finder (macOS) or iTunes (Windows). Optionally, use iCloud backup, but local backups provide an easier rollback path to the previous public release.

Step 3 — Sign up for the Apple Beta Software Program

Go to beta.apple.com and sign in with your Apple ID. Enrol your device in the iOS/iPadOS public beta program and follow the prompts to download the beta profile.

Step 4 — Install the beta profile & update

After the profile is installed, open Settings > General > Software Update. You should see iOS 26 Public Beta or iPadOS 26 Public Beta available. Tap Download & Install and follow the onscreen instructions. Expect the update to take a while and the device to restart.

Step 5 — After install: let the device settle

Apps may reindex, and background processes may spike battery use for 24–48 hours post-update. If you see high battery drain right after installing, check again after a day — many issues resolve as the system finishes background maintenance.

Known issues & important warnings (must-read)

Public Beta 2 is more stable than very early betas, but there remain documented problems and user-reported issues to be aware of:

Low battery symbol/boot issues: Apple’s release notes flagged that some iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 models might show a low battery symbol and be unable to start up after updating to an early iOS 26 beta. Apple’s dev notes and support threads list steps and mitigations — and this is a good reason to avoid installing on a mission-critical device until you confirm fixes.
Battery drain & overheating: Many testers report heavier-than-usual battery drain and warming immediately after install (common with major beta installs while indexing occurs). If you see sustained overheating, reboot and consider downgrading/beta removal. Community reports on Reddit and other forums indicate mixed experiences.
App incompatibilities: Some third-party apps may crash or behave oddly until developers update them for iOS 26. Banking apps, VPNs, and device-management profiles can be particularly sensitive.

Pro tip: Read Apple’s official release notes for the beta you’re installing (developer.apple.com / Apple’s Beta site) — they list known issues, workarounds, and sometimes device-specific warnings.

Developer beta vs Public beta — which should you pick?

Developer Beta: Released earlier to registered Apple Developer Program members. Contains the newest features and bug fixes first, but may be less stable. Typically intended for developers who need to update apps and test APIs.
Public Beta: Released to the public after developer testing. It’s usually more stable than the earliest developer builds and is the better choice for curious end-users who want to test features without being on the bleeding edge.

If you’re not comfortable troubleshooting crashes, use a spare device or wait for the release candidate builds closer to the final September release.

How to report bugs & help Apple improve iOS

Beta testers play a critical role in catching regressions and polishing features. When you find a bug:

Open Feedback Assistant (preinstalled on beta builds).
Provide reproducible steps, expected vs actual behaviour, and any relevant logs/screenshots.
Indicate device model, build number (Settings > General > About), and whether you were on developer or public beta.
If the issue affects data loss or a startup failure, mention it clearly and include time stamps.

Apple engineers read Feedback Assistant reports; clear, reproducible reports shorten the path to a fix.

Downgrading/rolling back to the current public release

If you need to return to the latest stable iOS release:

Use Finder (on macOS) or iTunes (on Windows) to restore your device from the backup you took before installing the beta. The process involves putting the device into recovery mode and restoring the factory image of the stable iOS release. Apple’s Beta site has a guide for restoring from a backup — follow it closely. Do not skip the backup step before installing a beta — that backup is your lifeline.

Timeline: when will iOS 26 & iPadOS 26 ship publicly?

Apple’s usual cadence suggests a stable public release around September, typically timed with the new iPhone announcement and availability. The public betas escalate through a few more releases as Apple fixes issues revealed by testers, then the gold/master builds are pushed to general users. Expect incremental updates (26.0.1, 26.1 developer betas) following the initial public launch if needed.

Beta tester checklist — do this before and after installing

Before you install:

Back up to your computer (encrypted Finder/iTunes backup recommended).
Make sure you can restore (test your backup integrity if possible).
Enrol via beta.apple.com and install the profile.

After you install:

Let the device idle for 24–48 hours for indexing to complete.
Monitor battery & temperature; don’t panic if usage spikes initially.
Check for app updates — many apps release beta-ready versions shortly after OS betas.
Use Feedback Assistant for reproducible bugs.

Final thoughts — should you try Public Beta 2?

If you love testing new features, giving feedback, and don’t mind occasional bugs, Public Beta 2 is worth trying — especially if you have a spare device. The release shows Apple refining the Liquid Glass aesthetic and polishing Apple Intelligence features, while improving CarPlay and iPad productivity tools. That said, Apple’s release notes and community reports show real-world pitfalls (battery, startup issues on some models), so caution is warranted. For most users, waiting until the release candidate or final ship version in September will provide a more stable experience.