Reprinted from TidBITS by permission; reuse governed by Creative Commons
license BY-NC-ND 3.0. TidBITS has offered years of thoughtful commentary
on Apple and Internet topics. For free email subscriptions and access to the
entire TidBITS archive, visit http://www.tidbits.com/


                     Apple Opens Public Betas for OS 27

   Adam Engst

   Want to live dangerously, get a glimpse of the future, and help Apple
   find bugs? You can now install public betas of nearly all the OS 27
   operating systems: [1]macOS 27 Golden Gate, [2]iOS 27, [3]iPadOS 27,
   [4]watchOS 27, tvOS 27, and HomePod Software 27. There's even a public
   beta of the next version of the AirPods firmware, but none for
   [5]visionOS 27.

   Follow those links for Apple's lists of what's new in each operating
   system; you can also read '[6]WWDC26 Keynote Shows Apple's Tacit
   Acknowledgment of External Pressures' (8 June 2026) for thoughts on the
   tweaks and features that will have the most impact on your Apple
   experience. At Six Colors, Jason Snell and Dan Moren have already
   written about the main changes in the [7]macOS 27 and [8]iOS 27 betas.

   Now for the obligatory warnings. First, you'll need compatible
   hardware, although I doubt that will be an issue for most people
   interested in testing. For details, see '[9]The Real System
   Requirements for OS 27' (20 July 2026). Second, install betas only
   on devices where you can tolerate catastrophic failure that might
   require wiping the device, reinstalling the operating system, and
   restoring from backup. Bugs and conflicts are par for the course'that's
   the entire point of a beta program. Ideally, you'd dedicate devices to
   testing, though I suspect many people don't.

   A full backup is essential before installing any beta on a Mac, iPhone,
   or iPad. Apple TVs and HomePods store all their data in the cloud, so
   they can't be backed up. If you want to revert to a shipping version of
   one of these operating systems, you must erase and restore from backup.
   The exception is the Apple Watch, which can't be restored to a
   previously released version of watchOS once you install a watchOS 27
   beta'it's a one-way street to the future.

   Also, consider not connecting your primary iCloud account with the
   betas to avoid bugs that might cause synchronization or other upstream
   problems. You wouldn't want beta iCloud Drive code to corrupt important
   data you use on your everyday devices or mess with your iCloud Photos
   library.

   If it sounds like I'm trying to dissuade you from installing the public
   betas, I am. You could lose data or waste time recovering from
   problems. But if you're comfortable with the technical implications and
   won't be upset if you lose data or waste time recovering from technical
   problems, have fun exploring and reporting bugs! I certainly intend to
   do so between now and when these updates ship, likely in September.

   To test one or more of the betas, go to the [10]Apple Beta Software
   Program, [11]read the FAQ, and sign up for the beta program. Once
   you're in, select which betas to install in Software Update, then
   proceed with the installation.

   Finally, remember that the main reason to test public betas is so you
   can report bugs, so revisit David Shayer's advice in '[12]How to Report
   Bugs to Apple So They Get Fixed' (17 June 2020).

References

   Visible links
   1. https://www.apple.com/os/macos/?version=no-hero
   2. https://www.apple.com/os/ios/?version=no-hero
   3. https://www.apple.com/os/ipados/?version=no-hero
   4. https://www.apple.com/os/watchos/?version=no-hero
   5. https://www.apple.com/os/visionos/
   6. https://tidbits.com/2026/06/08/wwdc26-keynote-shows-apples-tacit-acknowledgment-of-external-pressures/
   7. https://sixcolors.com/post/2026/07/first-look-macos-golden-gate-public-beta/
   8. https://sixcolors.com/post/2026/07/first-look-ios-27-public-beta/
   9. https://tidbits.com/2026/07/20/the-real-system-requirements-for-%ef%a3%bfos-27/
  10. https://beta.apple.com/
  11. https://beta.apple.com/faq
  12. https://tidbits.com/2020/06/17/how-to-report-bugs-to-apple-so-they-get-fixed/

   Hidden links:
  13. https://tidbits.com/uploads/2026/07/Apple-27-betas.jpg
  14. https://tidbits.com/uploads/2026/07/Golden-Gate-27-betas-scaled.jpg

.