Image: Cult of Mac
iOS 26 and macOS Tahoe 26 moved a bit closer toward release on Tuesday when Apple seeded the fifth round of betas to registered developers. This was followed on Thursday by the introduction of public versions.
The fifth betas of iPadOS 26, watchOS 26, tvOS 26 and visionOS 26 also went to developers on Tuesday, with public beta versions launching on Thursday.
Apple is on the second round of public betas, but the versions released Thursday for testing are the same as the fifth round of developer betas from Tuesday.
iOS 26 beta 5, macOS Tahoe 26 beta 5 and more go out to developers
At its Worldwide Developers Conference in June of each year, Apple unveils the next major updates for all its operating systems. WWDC25 was no exception, and the world got its first look at iOS 26, macOS Tahoe 26, plus new OS updates for iPad, Apple Watch and more.
The beta testing process also began at WWDC25, with registered developers getting access to pre-release versions of all these operating systems so they can begin testing them. Fresh betas came out approximately every two weeks since then. The process reached the fifth round of betas on Tuesday.
For a list of enhancements in the latest iOS 26, check our list of the extensive changes in iOS 26 beta 5.
Developer Beta 5 = Public Beta 2
While the latest betas were initially reserved for registered members of Apple’s developer program, non-developers got access on Thursday. Read our guide to trying the iOS 26 public beta or the macOS Tahoe 26 public beta.
Don’t be confused that these pre-release versions are labeled “Beta 2” — Apple is on the second round of public betas, but these are the same as the fifth developer betas seeded on Tuesday.
The end of beta testing and the final releases of these OS upgrades aren’t expected until this autumn… September and October depending on which operating system.
