How to Download the iOS 26 Developer Beta on Your iPhone

Apple beta software, also referred to as a preview, seed, or release candidate, is for developers to take advantage of the latest advancements in Apple platforms and test apps for compatibility. Here’s everything you need to know about downloading the iOS 26 developer beta on your iPhone.

The Apple Developer program has long required a fee to join, at $100 per year. Luckily, Apple created a free tier of the Apple Developer program, which allows you to download any developer betas for free as long as you have an Apple account.

If you want to try out iOS 26 today, here’s how.

Why you might not want to download the iOS 26 developer beta

Just because you can download the iOS 26 developer beta for free doesn’t mean you need to, or should.

Early developer betas, such as this one, are intended for developers to test their apps on upcoming versions of iOS. It’s also a way for developers to identify and report bugs, which helps Apple improve the software before it’s released to the general public. That’s a major reason why you may not want to download the iOS 26 developer beta on your phone: the bugs.

A software bug, or any other glitches, can make your phone unstable. You may not be able to use some of your favorite apps, and even if you can, you may deal with apps that crash unexpectedly. The performance of your entire phone could be affected; the developer beta could make your phone lag or lead your battery to drain faster than usual or even overheat.

I’ve downloaded developer betas on my personal iPhone for the last decade, and haven’t faced any major issues. It’s mostly just annoying when an app crashes or my battery dies quickly, but I’ve always managed.

If you have a backup iPhone, you should definitely use that for the iOS 26 developer beta, because you won’t need it every day, so you won’t feel the full effects of any bugs or other issues. If you don’t have one, running iOS 26 developer beta on your primary should hopefully be fine.

In case you still want iOS 26 but don’t want to deal with the developer beta, there’s sure to be a more stable iOS 26 public beta in the coming weeks.

What to know before you download the iOS 26 developer beta

Before you start downloading the iOS 26 developer beta, there are a few things you should know:

You need a supported phone. iOS 26 runs on the iPhone 11 and later.
Update your phone. It’s best to update to the latest general release before updating to a developer beta. The latest iOS version is currently 18.5.
Also, back up your iPhone. For this, you can’t just do a regular backup. You’ll need to archive a backup on your computer, which is a backup that can’t automatically be replaced or deleted. On your Mac, connect your iPhone, open a Finder window, select your iPhone, click Back Up Now, go to Manage Backups, right-click the backup you just created and then click Archive. The process is similar on Windows, but you’ll use the iTunes app instead.

Now, you’re ready to sign up for the Apple Developer program.

How to enroll in the Apple Developer program for free

The option to download and install the iOS 26 Developer Beta is immediately available for users who have previously enrolled on Apple’s Beta Software Program. If you’re currently enrolled to receive Public Betas, you can skip to the next section, otherwise follow these steps.

Open Safari on your iPhone and visit developer.apple.com.
Tap the menu icon in the top-left corner of the page, then tap Account.
Under “Sign in to Apple Developer,” enter and submit your Apple Account credentials using the arrow buttons, then enter the two-factor authentication code sent to your devices.
Tap the top-left menu icon again, then tap Account.
Accept the legal terms of the Apple Developer Agreement by scrolling down the page, checking the box, and tapping I Agree. You’ll then be directed to a payment screen, but you can quit out of your browser from here — you don’t need to pay anything.

You won’t get full access to the development tools that the paid Apple Developer program membership offers, but you’ll have access to the iOS 26 developer beta. If you’re a developer, you should consider signing up for the paid version.

Install the iOS 26 developer beta over-the-air on your iPhone

You can download the iOS 26 developer beta manually, but the easiest way to do it is with an over-the-air update — just like you would download and install your regular iOS update. After you sign up for the Apple Developer program, you should see the option to download the iOS 26 developer beta in your settings.

To download the iOS 26 developer beta over-the-air, here’s what you need to do:

On your iPhone, go to the Settings > General > Software Update.
Next, go into Beta Updates and tap the iOS 18 Developer Beta option.
Finally, go back and tap Update Now under the new “iOS 26 Developer Beta” option that appears.

If you don’t see the iOS 26 Developer Beta appear, try swiping down on the Software Update page a few times to refresh it.

Enter your passcode, agree to the terms and conditions and then just wait for the update to install on your iPhone.

Once your phone reboots, you should be running the iOS 26 developer beta.

You can also download the iOS 26 developer beta with your Mac

The problem with an over-the-air update is that it requires a certain amount of storage, so if your storage is nearly full, you won’t be able to use the option in the previous section. Fortunately, you can use your computer to update to the iOS 26 developer beta.

On your Mac, go to this Apple Developer Program download page, find “iOS 26 beta,” click Download Restore Images and download the iOS beta software restore image for your iPhone model.
Connect your phone to your computer and enter your device passcode or hit Trust This Computer.
Open a Finder window and then click your device in the sidebar under Locations.
Finally, hold down the Option key, click Check for Update and choose the iOS 26 beta software restore image you just downloaded from the Apple Developer website.

The iOS 26 developer beta software will begin to install on your iPhone. Wait for a few minutes and when your phone reboots, you should have access to iOS 26.