iOS 26 beta 1 launches soon: Will it work on your iPhone?

Apple fans around the world are probably anxiously waiting for next week’s main keynote, which will open this year’s WWDC. The event is where Apple unveils its latest operating systems each year, making them available in beta to testers eager to try the new features right after the show.

This year’s OS reveals are even more exciting, since we’re not just getting new features for iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Apple TV, AirPods, and Vision Pro. Apple is giving all its operating systems a big redesign, one that has leaked several times over the past few months.

A name change is also coming, with Apple replacing the expected iOS 19 label with a new iOS 26 moniker meant to designate the year of release. The official iOS 26 launch will happen in September or late 2025, making it the newest iPhone OS for most of 2026.

This new naming policy will apply across the board. All of Apple’s operating systems will follow the same numbering scheme.

With all that in mind, iOS 26 is easily the most anticipated OS coming out of WWDC. It’s the operating system people will want to try right away on their smartphones, to see how the new design works and test whatever iOS 26 features are available to early adopters on day one.

Unfortunately, some older iPhones still in use won’t be able to run iOS 26.

Apple has an impressive track record when it comes to supporting older iPhones. The latest iOS features might not show up on phones that launched five years ago, but they’ll still get most of the iOS functionality and the new design.