Apple releases public preview of iOS 26, its biggest iPhone software redesign since 2013

Apple released the public beta preview version of its next iPhone operating system, called iOS 26.

This software release on Thursday means that members of the public with recent iPhones can preview how the device's interface will change in the fall when the software is formally released and pushed to users.

To try out iOS 26, iPhone users in the U.S. and other countries need to enroll on Apple's website, then they can navigate to the settings menu, select General, then Software Updates and then Beta Updates.

This version of the Apple mobile operating system is one of the biggest changes to the iPhone's user interface design since 2013, when Apple's iOS 7 introduced a new, flatter look.

This year's redesign is called "Liquid Glass," and it replaces many of the iPhone's familiar buttons and menus with versions that are translucent and show animations while the user navigates their apps. The buttons are supposed to mimic the look of glass that flows like liquid. Apple relies on public feedback of its betas to tweak and change some of the most radical interfaces it tries out.

Apple has also updated its operating systems for iPads, Mac computers, and Apple Watch to use the new user interface.

Besides the new look, Apple updated the Phone app to combine recent calls and voicemails into one screen. The company has also added more screening tools into the iPhone's software to filter out spam calls and texts.

Noticeably missing from iOS 26, however, are the major updates to Siri artificial intelligence voice assistant that Apple promised back in 2024. Those features are not expected to arrive anytime before 2026.

Apple, though, has added several clever new features that use AI, including real-time translations inside iMessage and FaceTime, and the ability to visually search using the information inside a screenshot — for example, a user could highlight a lamp inside a screenshot of a news article to find where to buy a similar lamp to one seen online.

The company releases one major software update per year for its iPhones and other devices. They are announced in June, at the company's Worldwide Developers Conference, and software makers start tinkering with it then. Over the summer, Apple releases a public beta version for early adopters who want to help fix bugs and preview the new features.

Then, alongside new iPhone hardware in the fall, Apple pushes the new software to users, and most people's phones automatically update to the new iOS.

WATCH: Apple's foldable iPhone plan