Apple has made the iOS 27 developer beta available, giving app makers their first real look at the next iPhone software after the company announced it at WWDC 2026. The release arrived during the conference, so developers can start testing now while most iPhone users wait for the public version later this year.
That timing is why searches for Ipad and iPhone compatibility are climbing now: people want to know whether they can try it, and when the wait ends. A compatible iPhone has to be running iOS 17 or later to install the beta, and the device must be newer than the iPhone 11 to support iOS 27.
Getting started requires users to download the Apple Developer app from the App Store. Apple also offers a free tier of the Apple Developer Program that lets users test developer beta versions of iOS, while an annual membership costs $99 for those who want the full program.
The rollout still leaves a gap between the people who can test the software now and the much larger group waiting to use it. Apple says most iPhone users will get a free update to iOS 27 this fall, but the public beta is likely to arrive in July and the general release is still a few months away, with September the likeliest landing point.
iOS 27 is the successor to iOS 26, Apple’s current iPhone operating system, and not every device makes the cut. The company removed the iPhone X lineup and the second-generation iPhone SE from its list of supported models, a reminder that each new version narrows the field even as it widens the feature set for newer phones.
For developers, the immediate story is access: the beta is live, the testing window has opened, and the clock is already ticking toward the public beta next month and the fall release after that. For everyone else, the useful answer is simpler — if your phone is new enough, you will get iOS 27 later, but not today.
