Now that the public beta of iOS 27 is available, many iPhone and iPad users will be interested in getting new apps while they are still in development. And there is a good reason for this, iOS 27 and iPadOS 27 both constitute significant improvements in applications, with significant performance improvements, improvements to the Liquid Glass interface experience, new Siri AI features, new Apple Intelligence features, and a lot of small fixes and improvements throughout.
If you’re comfortable with the experience of a beta operating system – which means more bugs than usual, less stability, potentially reduced battery life, poor app performance, etc. – then you may be interested in installing and using the iOS 27 public beta right now on an iPhone, or the iPadOS 27 public beta on an iPad. That’s what we’re going to show you how to do.
iOS 27 Basic Requirements and System Requirements
There are basic requirements to run iOS 27 public beta or ipadOS 27 public beta.
First, you’ll need an iPhone that’s compatible with iOS 27. Any iPhone that can run iOS 26 can run iOS 27, which means all iPhone 17 models, all iPhone 16 models, all iPhone 15 models, all iPhone 14 models, all iPhone 13 models, all iPhone 12 models, all iPhone 11 models, and the second generation for iPhone SE or newer.
You’ll also need at least 30GB of free storage space available to successfully download and install the iOS 27 public beta.
In iPadOS 27, the system requirements are more stringent. You will need any iPad Pro 11″ 2nd gen or newer, iPad Pro 12.9″ 4th gen or newer, iPad Air 4th gen or newer, iPad 9th gen or newer, or iPad Mini 6th gen or newer. Of course that means that a few iPadOS 26 compatible iPad models, such as the 1st gen iPad Pro 11″, are not compatible.
How to Download and Install iOS 27 Public Beta on iPhone or iPadOS 27 Public Beta on iPad
You can install the public beta easily, here’s how it works:
- First, back up your iPhone or iPad to iCloud, and back it up to your Mac as well, this saves your data and a local backup allows you to downgrade.
- Next register your Apple ID for the public beta program at beta.apple.com
- Now open the “Settings” app on your iPhone or iPad
- Go to “General” and go to “Software Update”
- Select “Beta Updates” and select “iOS 27 Public Beta” or “iPadOS 27 Public Beta”
- Back on the main “Software Update” screen, choose to update now to iOS 27 public beta or iPadOS 27 public beta.
It may take some time to download, verify, and install the beta update on your iPhone or iPad, so be patient and don’t interrupt the process.
Once done, you’ll be taken straight into the iOS 27 public beta or ipadOS 27 public beta, where you’ll be presented with the Liquid Glass slider and a few other basic setup screens.
You may notice that Liquid Glass is very refined (and looks great on the Home Screen with Clear Icons and this water drop wallpaper, as shown here).
At first the new beta might feel slow, but let your iPhone or iPad stay connected overnight as Spotlight and other functions finish being identified, and things should be nice and fast in a day or two.
Future iOS 27 beta updates come via Software Update, and yes you can update directly to the final version in the fall.
All upcoming iOS 27 public beta updates will arrive like any other update via Software Update in the Settings app.
And yes, you can always update directly from the iOS 27 beta to the final version of iOS 27, when that is released in the fall.
Use the Feedback App to Report Bugs & Make Suggestions in iOS 27 / iPadOS 27
After installing any beta, you will get a new “feedback” app installed on your device. This is an app you can use to report bugs to Apple, or simply provide feedback about features or changes. Make your voice heard, and use the Feedback app! You never know, your suggestion or report could make a difference.
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Will you be testing the iOS 27 public beta, or the iPadOS 27 public beta? Are you already using the iOS 26 / iPadOS 26 developer beta? WHAT DO YOU THINK? Share your thoughts or anything else in the comments below.