Apple announced in June that the release of iOS 26 would first appear as developer betas as usual, with the first public beta set for July. When it reaches general release it will be on the 2025 releases, iPhone 17 series, as well the iPhone 16 series and plenty of much earlier models.

Unlike last year, several iPhone models won't be eligible to download the newest iOS when it makes its debut this fall. This trio of models first released in 2018 won't be coming to the iOS 26 party:

Assuming you're enrolled in the Apple public beta program, you can now grab the public beta directly on your iPhone. Just go to Settings, tap on General and select Software Updates. On that screen, tap on Beta Updates to find the iOS 26 beta.