Apple on Tuesday seeded the first public beta releases of its upcoming iOS 27 and iPadOS 26.6 operating systems for the iPhone and iPad, respectively. The public seeds allow anyone with a compatible device to test the software.
Registered public beta testers can download the public betas from the Software Update section of the Settings app on each device. The first public beta of both operating systems is identical to the third developer betas, seeded last week.
iOS 27 introduces the new Siri AI, powered by “next-generation Apple Intelligence.” Apple says the new version of Siri is “profoundly more intelligent, knowledgeable, and capable.”
Siri AI will boast personal context understanding, broad world knowledge, and onscreen awareness, allowing users to find what they need at that point in time. The new Siri will be able to answer questions using the web for most any topic, and can use relevant information drawn from a user’s personal messages, emails, photos, and more.
A dedicated Siri app, also powered by Apple Intelligence, will allow users to revisit conversations from across their devices, will offer expanded Visual Intelligence capabilities, and even offer integrated writing tools. Siri will offer detailed, engaging responses in a natural back-and-forth conversation.
There are also new Apple Intelligence features in apps like Photos, Passwords, Safari, Shortcuts, and Wallet, as well as a standalone Siri app that houses Siri conversations. Write with Siri is available systemwide for generating text or offering feedback on your writing, and Visual Intelligence has been relocated to the Camera app with a new Siri mode.
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.
