The third developer betas for iOS 26.5, iPadOS 26.5, watchOS 26.5, tvOS 26.5, visionOS 26.5, and macOS Tahoe 26.5 are now available for testing.
The third developer betas for iOS 26.5, iPadOS 26.5, watchOS 26.5, tvOS 26.5, visionOS 26.5, and macOS Tahoe 26.5 come after the second, which appeared on April 13. The first round arrived on March 30, however, Apple re-released the developer beta for iOS 26.5 on March 24, with a new build number.
- iOS 26.5 build 3 is 23F5059e, replacing 23F5054h
- iPadOS 26.5 build 3 is 23F5059e, replacing 23F5054h
- watchOS 26.5 build 3 is 23T5558e, replacing 23T5553h
- visionOS 26.5 build 3 is 23O5458e, replacing 23O5453d
- tvOS 26.5 build 3 is 23L5460d, replacing 23L5455c
- macOS Tahoe 26.5 build 3 is 25F5058e, replacing 25F5053d
- HomePod Software 26.5 build 3 is 23L5460d, replacing 23L5455c
Apple also introduced two RC builds:
- macOS 15.7.7 RC is 24G716
- macOS 14.8.7 RC is 23J516
The first iOS 26.5 build accidentally brought Apple Intelligence to China earlier than expected, introduced notification forwarding in the EU, and continued testing end-to-end encrypted RCS messaging. Though Siri improvements were expected, they didn't surface.
The second build provided more insight as to how ads in Apple Maps will work.
AppleInsider and Apple strongly recpmmend users don't install beta operating systems or beta software onto any "mission-critical" or primary-use hardware, because of the potential for data loss and other issues. Instead, they should retain backups of data and use spare secondary hardware that isn't as essential to maintain if something happens.
For users wanting a safer experience, Apple typically brings out a public beta version shortly after the developer counterpart. It is a more battle-hardened version of the update, with typically fewer issues than the developer builds.
Find any changes in the new builds? Reach out to us on Twitter at @AppleInsider or @Andrew_OSU, or send Andrew an email at [email protected].
