It’s not just your iPhone that just got access to one of the biggest free updates in years. Apple has finally released downloadable versions of the latest new software for the Mac, iPad and Apple Watch to join iOS 26, a new-look overhaul of the iPhone’s software that replaces iOS 18.
Apple decided to ditch iOS 19 and move the number up to 26 to match next year, the number now denoting the year the software will mostly be used for, which I guess sort of makes sense?
Although iOS 26 won’t officially debut until we get the iPhone 17, probably in September, you can sign up for what’s known as the Apple Beta Software Programme and download a trial version of iOS 26 onto your iPhone.
You can now also do this with macOS, iPadOS and watchOS if you fancy playing around with the new versions. All of them incorporate Apple’s new Liquid Glass design language, which makes software visual elements transparent and glass-like, taking cues from the visionOS software that runs on Apple’s £3,499 VR headset, the Vision Pro.
On July 24, Apple released macOS 26, iPadOS 26 and watchOS 26 alongside iOS 26 into public beta, which is available to anyone who signs up using their Apple ID via the official beta programme website.
A word of warning that you can download betas for use today, but all will likely have bugs and issues, and you can’t revert to the older version once you’ve done it. The only way to go back is to wipe your device and restore an old backup. You have been warned!
You also have to have a compatible device to be able to download the betas, and the full versions in the future. macOS 26 devices can be viewed here, iPadOS 26 devices here and watchOS devices here.
The update to the iPad is arguably one of the biggest ever. For most people, the iPad is a one-app giant screen to play Netflix on or browse the web, but Apple has finally caved to the demands of a relatively small subset of iPad users and fully embraced windowing, so now you can use your iPad more like it were a MacBook with moveable windows.
With iPadOS 26, you now get Spotlight search, just like the Mac, and can easier flit between windowed apps – a big update to the previous Stage Manager software that attempted a halfway house solution.
With the iPad now more like a Mac, what’s new for the Mac in macOS 26? With the obvious update to the Liquid Glass look and feel, the Mac is more customisable, so you can theme your desktop and icons like you can do on iOS and iPadOS. Want a fully pink background and icons? Go for it.
Spotlight is now allegedly more powerful, with more intelligent surfacing of information depending on what you type in, plus better integration with Apple Intelligence, Apple’s new AI tools.
Macs and MacBooks also gain, like their iPhone and iPad counterparts, Apple’s new Games app, a storefront for Mac games as Apple pushes its latest computers’ ability to play popular games, a gaping hole for Macs compared to Windows PCs.
Finally, if you want a new coat of paint on your wrist, you can try out watchOS 26. Apple has introduced Workout Buddy, a slightly twee name for an AI workout coach that takes your data and performance when exercising to provide you with insight via AI-generated voice to coach you during sessions. Go you!
Other Apple Intelligence features such as Live Translations and Smart Actions are now on the Watch in the Messages app, but these are relatively minor additions. Better is Wrist Flick, which with a flick of your wrist will now dismiss an incoming notification. Goodbye, unknown caller.