Apple's latest developer beta adds AI-generated Apple Music playlists and early testing for encrypted RCS messaging.

The official iOS 26 public beta is out now for anyone to try. But Apple's seventh and latest version is reserved exclusively for developers. This latest developer beta version is supposed to be more ...

Apple has released the first iOS 26 beta to developers, but even non-developers have the opportunity to download beta software updates on their iPhones for free. Keep reading to learn how it's done.

Update February 23: The second beta of iOS 26.4 is out now for developers. It expands the testing environment for RCS encryption to include iPhone-to-Android messages.

Update: It turns out this was not a bug but an unannounced change in policy, where free developer accounts now have OS beta access. This story has been updated throughout to reflect the change.