Apple continues to quickly push ahead with development of its next round of operating system updates. The result: the third betas of iOS 26.2 and macOS Tahoe 26.2 reached developers on Monday, and the public on Tuesday. The same goes for iPadOS 26.2 beta 3, watchOS 26.2 beta 3, tvOS 26.2 beta 3 and visionOS 26.2 beta 3.
Expect the full versions to be ready in only a few weeks.
New in iOS 26.2 beta 3 and macOS Tahoe 26.2 beta 3
Apple is very forward-thinking. It’s always working on new operating system versions. iOS 26.1 is still fairly new, launching November 3, but iOS 26.2 is already on beta 3. The last beta came out under a week ago, and the new one is nearly the last. They’re part of successive rounds of betas to developers, giving them their early looks at the next OS updates for iPhone, as well as Mac, iPad, Apple Watch and more.
iOS 26.2 beta 3 makes AirDrop file sharing even easier in iOS 26.2. It’s one of the new features. But the list of changes in iOS 26.2 beta 2 includes Apple adding Liquid Glass to the Measure app, cool new menu animations, and more. Plus, macOS 26.2 Tahoe beta 2 introduces Edge Light for better video calls.
The good news is that testing is nearly over. During any Apple OS testing process, the build numbers for each beta have a letter attached. These usually start around “e” or “f” in a countdown to “a,” which is generally the last beta. The betas that went out Monday end in “b” or “a.” That means Release Candidates will likely go out the first week in December, and the full non-beta releases of all these OS updates can be expected in the second week of December.
And there’s more going on behind the scenes. Apple is very hard at work finishing up work on the AI-enhanced version of Siri that is still scheduled to launch in spring 2026.
Also, the upcoming iOS version needs to be ready for the iPhone 17e when it arrives. And that’s true for macOS Tahoe 26.2 and the M5 MacBook Air as well. Further ahead, future MacBook variants with the Apple M5 Pro and Max processors are supposed to debut with macOS 26.3.
iOS 26.2 builds on iOS 26.1, which arrived early in November. It’s is packed with features for iPhone users, as well as loads of bug fixes. Read our guide to all the changes in iOS 26.1. In addition, macOS Tahoe 26.1, iPadOS 26.1, watchOS 26.1, tvOS 26.1 and visionOS 26.1 also went out with tweaks and bug fixes galore. And iPad users have an extra reason to celebrate: the return of Slide Over.
For developers and the general public, too
iOS 26.2 beta 3, iOS 26.2 beta 3, iPadOS 26.2 beta 3, watchOS 26.2 beta 3, tvOS 26.2 beta 3 and visionOS 26.2 beta 3 can be downloaded starting Monday by registered members of Apple’s developer program. The next round of betas is expected next week, though the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday might complicate that.
Non-developers in the Apple Beta Software Program had to wait a day before they could test these prerelease versions, but they got theirs on Tuesday.
Ed Hardy has been writing full-time about tech for 25 years, and using it for much longer than that. His intro to Apple was a Macintosh Classic II (which he still has), but now he uses a 13-inch iPad Pro as his primary computer. He’s written for NotebookReview, TabletPCReview, and Brighthand, as well as other sites.
