Apple has released a public beta version of its mobile operating system iOS 26, previewing a major software redesign that will reach devices later in 2025.
iPhone users in countries like the United States and Australia can now download an early preview of the operating system, which will be launched officially in the Northern Hemisphere’s autumn period. It will be Apple’s first release to include its new Liquid Glass software design.
“This is our broadest software design update ever,” said Apple’s Human Interface Design vice president Alan Dye last month. “Meticulously crafted by rethinking the fundamental elements that make up our software, the new design features an entirely new material called Liquid Glass.”
“The new material, Liquid Glass, is translucent and behaves like glass in the real world. Its colour is informed by surrounding content and intelligently adapts between light and dark environments,” Apple wrote.
The Liquid Glass design will also be included in Apple’s iPadOS 26, macOS Tahoe, tvOS 26, and watchOS 26 operating systems for tablets, computers, Apple TV, and smart watches. These operating systems were similarly released to the public in beta this week.
iOS 26 adds several new artificial intelligence features, such as visual intelligence options to search for images or items on-screen and live translation in its Messages and FaceTime apps.
Apple is in the process of rolling out its Apple Intelligence AI suite worldwide, having first launched it in the U.S. last year. It integrates writing and image editing tools, summarised notifications, and the option to search with ChatGPT.
The iPhone 17 is expected to be released later this year, alongside iOS 26. Apple is likely to also launch two high-end iPhone 17 models and one model thinner than the standard version, Bloomberg reported in March.
Apple's (NASDAQ: AAPL) share price closed at US$213.76, down from its previous close at $214.15. Its market capitalisation is $3.19 trillion.
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