It’s been a month since Apple released the first developer beta of iOS 26, and iPhone users are no doubt excited to try out the new version, as it introduces the Liquid Glass design among other cool features. With the release of the public beta, you may be wondering whether it’s worth installing iOS 26 on your iPhone or if you should wait until September.
If you really want to try the new software, read on as we detail how smooth or buggy the iOS 26 beta is, and whether you should actually install it right now.
iOS 26 is filled with tempting new features
There are many new features in iOS 26. Most notable, it has a new eye-catching Liquid Glass design that simulates a transparent layer for menus and panels, with depth and reflections. From new wallpapers to transparent icons and floating menus, Liquid Glass brings a fresh look to the iPhone’s operating system that you need to see and experience to understand. But even if you don’t care about Liquid Glass, there’s more to see in iOS 26.
With iOS 26, you get live translations for phone calls and FaceTime. You can also see translations in iMessage conversations, all powered by Apple Intelligence. Speaking of Apple Intelligence, Visual Intelligence has been upgraded with the ability to circle anything in a screenshot to search for it on the web.
Among many iPhone features, iOS 26 also includes a few new AirPods features.
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AirPods are also getting new tricks with iOS 26. In addition to letting you control the iPhone camera remotely, Apple’s earbuds can now work as high-quality microphones for the first time. This is great news for creators who want to shoot video without needing a lavalier mic.
In addition, the update brings many quality-of-life improvements, such as smarter spam filters in Messages, estimated charging times, AutoMix (a DJ-like feature for Apple Music), and the option to set a custom snooze duration in the Clock app.
Resist the temptation for now
So how stable is the iOS 26 beta right now? Based on my experience running the latest beta on different iPhones, I can say that the update is reasonably stable – but there’s a lot to keep in mind.
On my iPhone 16 Pro Max, the latest beta runs as smoothly as iOS 18 did. While I noticed a lot of frame drops and crashing apps in the first two betas, that’s no longer the case. If you’re planning to install the iOS 26 beta on one of the latest iPhones, such as the iPhone 15 or iPhone 16, you probably won’t face any significant performance issues. Yes, the iPhone may overheat a bit depending on what you’re doing (such as taking photos or playing games), but overall, it’s quite possible to use the device normally for regular tasks.
iOS 26 is nice, but you’ll be better off waiting than installing the beta right now.
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At the same time, this doesn’t mean everything is perfect. After all, we’re talking about beta software. Although Apple has already fixed the most critical bugs, there are still minor issues here and there. For instance, some apps may not work very well with iOS 26, as developers are still working on updates to make them fully compatible. I also noticed some interface glitches, likely due to the adjustments Apple is still making to Liquid Glass. Battery life, while improved in the latest beta, is still not ideal if you need to spend all day without a charger nearby.
But if you have an older iPhone, such as an iPhone 11 or 12, you might want to wait a bit longer before updating to the iOS 26 beta. In my tests, these devices still struggle to run the beta smoothly. I’m sure Apple will further optimize the update for these models.
What about other betas?
In addition to iOS 26, there are also betas available for iPadOS 26, watchOS 26, tvOS 26, macOS 26, and visionOS 26. Overall, my experience with these betas is quite similar to the iOS 26 beta.
The latest betas of iPadOS 26 and macOS 26 are pretty stable. On the Mac, most of the apps I use every day (Pixelmator Pro, Slack, etc.) seem to be working just fine with the beta, although I’ve noticed Final Cut Pro crashing a few times.
When it comes to tvOS 26 and watchOS 26, the changes are so subtle that I don’t even feel like I’m running beta software. Just be aware that you can’t downgrade your Apple TV or Apple Watch in case something goes wrong.
Liquid Glass is cool, but it’ll be just as cool in September.
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Should you install the iOS 26 public beta?
I understand the excitement of trying out new features (and a brand-new interface) ahead of the official release. If you’re okay with experiencing a few bugs while using your iPhone, iOS 26 is already at a fairly stable stage for a beta. Again, bugs are there, but they (probably) won’t make your phone unusable.
However, my advice to everyone is: don’t install the beta unless you really need it for some reason.
And don’t forget: if you’re going to install beta software, make sure you back up your device before updating. Make sure to back up your iPhone using a Mac or PC and archive the backup data so that you can downgrade in case something goes wrong.
And besides, you only have a couple of months left to wait: iOS 26 is expected to be officially released to the public in September.
