Apple on Monday seeded the second betas of its upcoming iOS 26.3 and iPadOS 26.3 updates to developers for testing. The new betas come close to a month after Apple seeded the first betas.
Registered developers can download the new iOS 26.3 and iPadOS 26.3 beta software using the Software Update section of the Settings app.
What’s New So Far
iOS 26.3 beta one makes it easier for iPhone users to transition to an Android smartphone by offering a new transfer tool allows an iPhone user to place their device next to an Android device to initiate a transfer process. Users can opt to move over photos, messages, notes, apps, passwords, phone number, and more. However, health data, paired Bluetooth devices, and protected items like locked notes are not transferred over to the new smartphone.
The new tool can be found in the Settings app, under General → Transfer or Reset iPhone → Transfer to Android. It is available worldwide.
There is a dedicated section for Weather wallpapers, with three preset options available to choose from. To access them, tap and hold on the Lock Screen and tap on the plus sign in the bottom-right corner of the screen.
In the EU, the iOS 26.3 beta also brings a new “Notification Forwarding” setting that allows incoming notifications on an iPhone to be forwarded to a third-party device. The setting can be found in the Notification section of the Settings app under a new “Notification Forwarding” option. It also adds AirPods-like proximity pairing for third-party accessories like earbuds and smartwatches.
Apple was required to make these changes to comply with the EU’s Digital Markets Act.
While the iOS 26.3 and iPadOS 26.3 betas are currently limited to developers, Apple will likely release a public beta in the next couple of days.
As usual, MacTrast and Apple both warn users to not install any betas on their daily driver iPhone or iPad. Instead, only install betas on a device set aside for testing purposes.
