Apple Quietly Delivers Unprecedented iPhone Update
Apple announced the latest iPhone software, iOS 26, on Monday, June 9. The first release for developers came later the same day. Just three days later, Apple released a second build of the first beta — that’s unprecedentedly soon.
iOS 26 — the developer beta iPhone software has already been updated.
Almost always, there’s no update until the second beta in late June or early July, and that routinely arrives at least two weeks after the first beta (and the first public beta is scheduled for July). So, what’s going on?
iOS 26 New Update: It’s Not For Everyone
The update that’s quietly arrived is only for iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 series models. So, iPhone 14 and earlier users won’t see the update for their developer betas.
To check, follow the usual route towards software updates: open Settings, choose General and then Software Update. You need to be a registered developer, of course.
The old build number was 23A5260n and that moves to 23A5260u with this update. In other words, this is a new build of the first beta, not the second developer beta.
Nevertheless, it’s worth updating to it if you’re offered it.
iOS 26 New Update: What It’s About
Apple has not revealed what the differences are between the two builds, though some think it’s about the battery life, for instance Juli Clover at MacRumors. “The revised beta addresses an issue that could cause some iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 models to show a low battery symbol and be unable to start up after updating to the initial iOS 26 beta,” Clover reports.
Other analyses suggest something different, like Ryan Christoffel at 9to5Mac, suggests that “Apple discovered a crucial bug or security issue—or perhaps code that leaked future products—and felt it necessary to push a new build,” the report says.
That reference to future products concerns code in the first beta which mentioned AirPods Pro 3.
As more information becomes public, I’ll update this post, so please check back.