Apple has released the eigth developer beta version of iOS 26. We expect the redesigned version of the iPhone software to officially launch in about one month.
iOS 26 developer beta 8 has arrived
Apple describes the upcoming iPhone software update by saying that iOS 26 “delivers a stunning new design, powerful Apple Intelligence capabilities, new ways to stay connected in the Phone and Messages apps, and exciting updates to CarPlay, Apple Music, Maps, and Wallet.”
In iOS 26 beta 2, we saw design tweaks including legibility improvements for Control Center, better menu organization in Safari, and stronger accessibility options with borders added to High Contrast Mode.
iOS 26 beta 3 most notably added opaqueness to some of the more transparent tab bars alongside new wallpaper colors. Beta 4 reverted the opaqueness tweaks. Meanwhile, Notification Center still uses absolute transparency when pulled down until fully open. That seems ripe for changing.
iOS 26 beta 4 also reintroduced notification summaries for news and entertainment apps. Apple previously paused the Apple Intelligence feature after complaints that text summaries could change the meaning of headlines.
iOS 26 beta 5 addressed a lot of user feedback by bringing back the Select button in Mail, adding a toggle to revert back to the classic Camera mode swipe direction, and more.
iOS 26 beta 6 removed that Camera swipe direction toggle, added faster animations, new ringtones, and more.
iOS 26 beta 7 added a new “drafts” section in Messages.
Later today, we expect this developer beta build to also be the same release as a future iOS 26 public beta 5 release.
... continue reading