iPadOS 26 is one of the most exciting iPadOS releases in years, and the public beta is likely to be very popular. From enhanced multitasking to improved audio handling to the brand-new Phone app, this release addresses several major wishes from the iPadOS community.

The iPadOS 26 Public Beta will be available in July, and will be open to anyone with a compatible iPad; no developer account required. If you’re interested in jumping in, here’s how to get started.

Supported Models

The following iPads will be receiving iPadOS 26 update, which means they can run the public beta:

iPad Pro

• iPad Pro (M4)
• iPad Pro 12.9‑inch (3rd generation and later)
• iPad Pro 11‑inch (1st generation and later)

iPad Air

• iPad Air (M3)
• iPad Air (M2)
• iPad Air (3rd generation and later)

iPad

• iPad (A16)
• iPad (8th generation and later)

iPad mini

• iPad mini (A17 Pro)
• iPad mini (5th generation and later)

Before You Sign Up…

Before you do anything, make sure you have a recent backup of the iPad you plan to use. The best way to do this is by backing up to a PC using the Apple Devices app or iTunes (yuck!) or to a Mac via Finder. Manually backing up this way makes it less likely the backup will get accidentally updated during the beta.

If you use iCloud Backup, be sure to disable automatic backups after creating the initial backup. Otherwise, your iCloud backup will continue updating while you’re using the iPadOS 26 beta, and you won’t be able to roll back to iPadOS 18 using that backup, if something goes wrong. iCloud backups are tied to specific OS versions, so you can’t restore an iPadOS 18 device with a backup made from an iPad running iPadOS 26.

Registering for the Beta

Next, sign up for the public beta program at beta.apple.com. You’ll be prompted to sign in with your Apple Account. For most people, this will be the same Apple Account they already use on their iPad. If you use multiple Apple Accounts, make sure you’re using the one currently signed in on your iPad.

After registering, go to Settings > General > Software Update > Beta Updates on your iPad. You should see a new section called Beta Updates. This section is turned off by default unless you’ve participated in other betas before (in which case, you probably already know what you’re doing).

Tap into the Beta Updates section, choose iPadOS 26 Public Beta, and then tap Download and Install. From there, installing the beta works just like a regular software update.

Leaving Feedback

Installing a beta iPad release should also install the Feedback Assistant app (you can also leave feedback at feedbackassistant.apple.com). If you run into issues or want to suggest improvements, it’s important to share that feedback. The more people report a problem, the more likely it is that Apple will prioritize addressing it.

Getting Off the Beta

That’s all there is to it! Once iPadOS 26 officially launches in the fall, you can opt out of the beta by going to Settings > General > Software Update > Beta Updates and selecting Off. From there, your iPad will only receive public releases.