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iOS 26 public beta rumored to launch next week

iOS 26 has been in beta testing with developers for over a month, and there’s still been no public beta release yet. Apple has only confirmed a July launch, but according to Mark Gurman, there’s a specific day next week being targeted.

Apple reportedly targeting July 23 for iOS 26 public beta

Historically, Apple tends to launch its summer public betas about a week after beta 3 debuts.

But iOS 26 beta 3 arrived last Monday, July 7 and we’re now over a week later with no public beta.

According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, we may need to wait another whole week.

In response to a post on X today questioning the public beta’s absence, Gurman replied:

Next Wednesday, July 23 would be a later launch than usual for Apple’s public betas.

It also means we’re likely to get iOS 26 developer beta 4 before then.

If Apple follows its usual 7-day gap between betas, we could see iOS 26 beta 4 arrive tomorrow.

Then again, historical precedent has already been deviated from, so in this case it’s anyone’s guess whether a new beta will arrive before the public beta or not. Perhaps there will be a ‘revised’ beta 3 released instead.

One way or another, now that we’re halfway through July, the iOS 26 public beta release window is narrowing fast.

Are you surprised the iOS 26 public beta hasn’t been released yet? How is beta 3 running for you? Let us know in the comments.

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Avatar for Ryan Christoffel Ryan Christoffel

Ryan got his start in journalism as an Editor at MacStories, where he worked for four years covering Apple news, writing app reviews, and more. For two years he co-hosted the Adapt podcast on Relay FM, which focused entirely on the iPad. As a result, it should come as no surprise that his favorite Apple device is the iPad Pro.