Apple has released the eighth developer beta version of iOS 26. The redesigned version of the iPhone software is expected to launch officially in about one month.
iOS 26 developer beta 8 has arrived
Apple describes the upcoming iPhone software update as delivering a stunning new design, powerful Apple Intelligence capabilities, new ways to stay connected in the Phone and Messages apps, and exciting updates to CarPlay, Apple Music, Maps, and Wallet.
In iOS 26 beta 2, design tweaks were seen including legibility improvements for Control Center, better menu organization in Safari, and stronger accessibility options with borders added to High Contrast Mode.
iOS 26 beta 3 added opaqueness to some of the more transparent tab bars alongside new wallpaper colors. Beta 4 reverted the opaqueness tweaks. Meanwhile, Notification Center still uses absolute transparency when pulled down until fully open, which could change in the future.
iOS 26 beta 4 reintroduced notification summaries for news and entertainment apps, after pausing the Apple Intelligence feature due to complaints about text summaries changing the meaning of headlines.
iOS 26 beta 5 addressed user feedback by bringing back the Select button in Mail, adding a toggle to revert back to the classic Camera mode swipe direction, and more.
iOS 26 beta 6 removed the Camera swipe direction toggle, added faster animations, new ringtones, and more.
iOS 26 beta 7 introduced a new “drafts” section in Messages.
It is expected that this developer beta build will also be released as a future iOS 26 public beta 5 release.
Is your iPhone ready for iOS 26? The next major software update runs on iPhone SE (2nd generation) as well as iPhone 11 and newer models. iPhone XR, iPhone XS, and iPhone XS Max will not support iOS 26, with iPhone 18 being the last version for these models. Features utilizing Apple Intelligence require iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, or any iPhone 16 family model.
Stay tuned for updates on every change to iOS 26 beta and more on 9to5Mac!
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