Apple has begun rolling out the ninth developer beta of iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS Tahoe 26, watchOS 26, tvOS 26, and visionOS 26, marking the final stretch before the company’s major September 9 event, where the iPhone 17 lineup will be officially unveiled. For registered developers, the update is now available through the familiar Software Update menu, following the eighth beta that was released on August 25.
The timing of this release indicates Apple is polishing stability and squashing bugs rather than introducing major surprises. The changelog highlights fixes across the system but avoids headline-grabbing new features. 
Still, the groundwork laid earlier in the iOS 26 cycle ensures that plenty of big shifts are already on the way. The much-discussed Liquid Glass interface brings a sleeker, more modern feel, though some users note that the new look feels subtle unless you dive into the personalization options. Meanwhile, the Camera app has been given a redesigned layout, Apple’s native apps are seeing smarter tweaks, and ChatGPT integration is being taken a step further with deeper system-level ties.
On iPadOS 26, the real breakthrough is the new multi-window multitasking system. For years, Apple has promised to make the iPad feel like a true productivity device, and this year the shift is dramatic enough that many early testers believe Android tablets will struggle to keep up. By contrast, macOS Tahoe 26 continues Apple’s steady evolution on desktop with refinements rather than reinventions, ensuring stability for professionals who depend on reliability.
Not all feedback is glowing. Testers on older hardware, such as the iPad mini 5 with only 3GB of RAM, report lag and stutters, raising concerns that Apple’s continued frugality with memory could limit performance for some users. Still, others argue this is part of the reason Apple devices retain such consistency across their ecosystem: Apple controls both the hardware and software, avoiding the fragmented compromises seen in the Android world, where multiple manufacturers and Google’s software roadmap don’t always align.
As anticipation builds for the iPhone 17 reveal, these betas serve as the final rehearsal. If Apple’s recent strategy holds, the public release of iOS 26 and its counterparts should arrive shortly after the keynote. Whether the Liquid Glass interface or the iPad’s productivity leap ends up being the defining moment of this cycle, the next two weeks will set the tone for how Apple’s software vision evolves into 2026.
2 comments
ios26 liquid glass is just looks tbh. if u use default colors u wont even notice. wish apple gave more ram cuz my mini 5 laggin hard 😤
apple cheap on ram, 3gb is a joke in 2025. ios26 feels like it needs at least 6gb to not choke