Just when it looked like testing was wrapping up, Apple has pushed out another round of updates. iOS 26 beta 9 and iPadOS 26 beta 9 are now available for developers, with the official rollout of iOS 26 expected in just a couple of weeks.
This ninth beta is mostly about tightening screws and smoothing edges, but it’s also a reminder: Apple is taking extra care before the big launch.
iOS 26 Beta 9: What’s Going On
iOS 26 has been one of the more visually bold updates in years. Over the past few weeks, betas have introduced a mix of changes:
- Beta 2: Legibility improvements for Control Center, better Safari menu organization, stronger accessibility options with High Contrast Mode borders.
- Beta 3: Added opaqueness to transparent tab bars plus new wallpaper colors (later reverted in beta 4).
- Beta 4: Notification summaries for news and entertainment apps returned, though Apple briefly paused Apple Intelligence’s text summaries feature.
- Beta 5: Brought back the Select button in Mail and added a toggle for classic Camera mode swipe direction.
- Beta 6: Removed that Camera toggle and the classic original swipe direction was restored, added faster animations, and introduced new ringtones.
- Beta 7: Added a new “Drafts” section in Messages, redesigned blood oxygen feature, Adaptive Power notifications.
- Beta 8: This beta added smoother animations and visual refinements with transparency adjustments across the board, including the Control Center and dock.
Beta 9 likely continues down the path of polish rather than big feature drops. If anything, it’s the calm before the storm — the release candidate (RC) build is expected right after Apple’s September 9 event.
Who Gets It
iOS 26 works on iPhone SE (2nd gen) and newer, plus all iPhone 11 models and up. If you’re holding onto an iPhone XR, XS, or XS Max, iOS 18 was your last big update.
And for Apple Intelligence? You’ll need iPhone 15 Pro, 15 Pro Max, an iPhone 16, or the upcoming iPhone 17 models to unlock those features.
Bottom Line
Later today, this developer beta build could also double as the next iOS 26 public beta version. With launch just weeks away, the software is closing in on final polish.
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