In a few weeks, the next major iPhone update will land. And the latest beta reveals an important change is on its way which could radically change messaging.

Apple today seeded the second betas of upcoming iOS 26.3 and iPadOS 26.3 updates to developers for testing purposes, with the software coming four weeks after the release of the first betas. Registered developers can download the betas from the Settings app on the iPhone or iPad by going to the General section and selecting Software Update,

Early iOS 27 rumors point to major stability improvements, new Apple Intelligence features, and updates designed for Apple’s foldable iPhone.

There’s good precedent for this. As 9to5Mac reported, in the last three years, the date has been pretty much the same. In 2023 it was Jan. 23, in 2024 iOS 17.3 was released on Jan. 22 and last year iOS 18.3 debuted on Jan. 27. All of those dates are Mondays and all fell on the Monday after Martin Luther King Jr Day.

Following the year-end festivities, Apple is continuing its developer beta process, providing new second builds of iOS 26.3, iPadOS 26.3, watchOS 26.3, tvOS 26.3, visionOS 26.3, and macOS Tahoe 26.3.

Discover the iOS 26.3A beta update: security testing changes, installation guide, known bugs, and what it means for Apple’s future updates.

Apple has a new beta 2 version of iOS 26.3 available for public beta testers, here’s what to expect from the latest software update.

That’s not as cataclysmic a dropoff as Statcounter’s data suggests, even before considering other mitigating factors—iOS 26 dropped support for 2018’s iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR, for example, while iOS 18 ran on every iPhone that could run iOS 17.

Discover iOS 26.3's performance boosts, battery gains, and key updates. Learn how this update enhances your iPhone experience.

Wonder why iOS apps take so much space these days on iPhone? Reasons abound, but at least there are a few things you can do about it.