Apple's beta program for its 26-gen operating systems continues, with the fourth developer builds of iOS 26.6 and others now available for testing.
While the main attention is on the 27-generation, Apple is still making changes to its current-gen operating systems.
The fourth developer betas landed after the third, which landed on June 29. The second was distributed on June 15, and the first round came out on May 26.
- iOS 26.6 build 4 is 23G5057c, replacing 23G5052d
- iPadOS 26.6 build 4 is 23G5057c, replacing 23G5052d
- watchOS 26.6 build 4 is 23U5054b, replacing 23U5049c
- visionOS 26.6 build 4 is 23O5757c, replacing 23O5752d
- tvOS 26.6 build 4 is 23L5758b, replacing 23L5753c
- macOS Tahoe 26.6 build 4 is 25G5057c, replacing 25G5052e
- HomePod Software 26.6 build 4 is 23L5758b
At the same time, Apple has brought out fourth release candidates for earlier macOS versions.
- macOS 15.7.8 RC 4 is 24G814
- macOS 14.8.8 RC 4 is 23J612
When there are two developer beta tracks undergoing testing at the moment, the 27-gen version contains new features and bigger changes. The current-gen track is all about performance and security.
The first iOS 26.6 beta build included a new feature for Contacts that notifies users if they reach the maximum of 20,000 blocked listings. There was also a security fix for Apple Maps.
AppleInsider and Apple strongly recommend that users don't put beta operating systems or beta software onto their primary or "mission-critical" devices due to the potential for data loss and other issues. Ideally, they should retain backups of their data and try to use spare and secondary hardware for testing purposes.
The more risk-averse users should wait for public beta builds, which are more battle-hardened and less prone to errors.
Find any changes in the new builds? Reach out to us on X at @AppleInsider or @Andrew_OSU, or send Andrew an email at [email protected].
