Turns out iOS 26 development isn’t quite over yet. After only shipping eight beta versions of major iOS releases over the last several years, Apple has released the ninth developer beta version of iOS 26. We expect the redesigned version of the iPhone software to officially launch in about two weeks.
iOS 26 developer beta 9 has arrived
Apple describes the upcoming iPhone software update by saying that iOS 26 “delivers 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, we saw design tweaks 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 most notably 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. That seems ripe for changing.
iOS 26 beta 4 also reintroduced notification summaries for news and entertainment apps. Apple previously paused the Apple Intelligence feature after complaints that text summaries could change the meaning of headlines.
iOS 26 beta 5 addressed a lot of 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 that Camera swipe direction toggle, added faster animations, new ringtones, and more.
iOS 26 beta 7 added a new “drafts” section in Messages.
Later today, we’ll probably see this developer beta build also be the same release as a future iOS 26 public beta 6.
Is your iPhone ready for iOS 26? The next major software update runs on iPhone SE (2nd generation) as well as iPhone 11 and up. iOS 18 is the last version that will run on iPhone XR, iPhone XS, and iPhone XS Max. You’ll need to upgrade your iPhone if you want the latest features and newest design, but older iPhones will continue to receive software updates for security for a while. Features that use Apple Intelligence require iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, or any iPhone 16 family model.
We’ll collect and list every change to iOS 26 beta and more on 9to5Mac so stay tuned (and join the fun with tips@9to5mac.com)!
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iOS 26 Developer Beta 9 Summary
Apple has released the ninth developer beta version of iOS 26. This is an unusual occurrence in recent years for major iOS releases. The redesigned iOS 26 is expected to be officially released in about two weeks.
Key Changes:
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iOS 26 Beta 2: Improved Control Center readability, Safari menu organization, and added borders in high contrast mode for enhanced accessibility options.
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iOS 26 Beta 3: Some previously transparent tab bars were changed to opaque, and new wallpaper colors were added.
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iOS 26 Beta 4: The opaque tab bars that were changed in beta 3 have been reverted back to transparent. Additionally, the notification summary feature for news and entertainment apps, which was temporarily paused due to complaints that text summaries could change the meaning of headlines, has been reintroduced.
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iOS 26 Beta 5: The Select button returned to the Mail app based on user feedback, and a toggle function was added to reverse the classic camera mode swipe direction.
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iOS 26 Beta 6: The camera swipe direction toggle was removed again, and improvements were made to animation speed and new ringtones were added.
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iOS 26 Beta 7: A new 'drafts' section was added to the Messages app.
Compatibility:
iOS 26 runs on iPhone SE (2nd generation), iPhone 11 and later models. iPhone XR, iPhone XS, and iPhone XS Max will only support iOS 18 as the last supported version, so you need to upgrade your device to use iOS 26. The Apple Intelligence feature requires an iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, or any iPhone 16 model.
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Apple has released developer beta 9 of iOS 26.
It's been several years since the release of developer beta 8... It's noteworthy that they released the ninth developer beta version this year.
In addition to iOS, beta 9 versions of watchOS, iPadOS, macOS, visionOS, and tvOS 26 were also released.
