How to Install the iOS 27 Public Beta on Your iPhone

Apple is bringing the iOS 27 public beta to beta.apple.com this month, giving anyone with a compatible iPhone a free way to try Siri AI, the Liquid Glass slider, and the rest of iOS 27’s new features, including iOS 27 accessibility features like AI subtitles and smarter VoiceOver, ahead of the September release. Before installing, confirm your device is supported, make a proper backup, and enroll in the correct beta channel. This guide walks through each step in order.

iOS 27 runs on any iPhone 11 or newer, covering the same device range as iOS 26. Apple Intelligence features require an iPhone 15 Pro or newer, and Siri AI has a separate waitlist even on supported hardware. Siri AI is also unavailable at launch in the EU, and both Siri AI and the broader Apple Intelligence features will not be available in China.

The public beta is pre-release software with bugs. Apple’s stated development focus for iOS 27 is “quality and underlying performance,” but bugs will be present and some apps may not behave correctly. If this is your only iPhone, proceed with that in mind.

Should You Install It on Your Main iPhone?

The developer beta has been running since June 8, and iOS 27 beta 2 shipped with a fix for unresponsive Philips Hue lights along with quality-of-life additions like the “Write with Siri” button and Wallet Insights. By the time the public beta lands, the build will be reasonably stable for daily use, and Apple specifically polishes public betas before release to reduce the failure rate. That said, “reasonably stable” is not the same as stable, and if your work depends on particular apps working without fail, reviewing the iOS 27 developer beta device risk checklist is a good starting point before committing your main device.

If you run into serious issues and need to go back to iOS 26, restore your iPhone from the archived Finder backup created in step one below. Backups made after installing a beta cannot be restored to an older iOS version, which is exactly why archiving before the install matters.

1. Make an archived backup in Finder. Connect your iPhone to a Mac, open Finder, select your device in the sidebar, and click Back Up Now. When the backup finishes, right-click it in the backup list and choose Archive. An archived backup is frozen at the current iOS version, which means you can restore to it later even after upgrading to the beta. A standard iCloud or iTunes backup will be overwritten once you install iOS 27, so the archive step is essential if you want a reliable fallback.
2. Free up storage space. Beta updates are typically 4, 6 GB to download, and iOS needs additional headroom to unpack and install them. Go to Settings, then General, then iPhone Storage, and remove anything you do not need, particularly large apps or offline video. Aim for at least 8, 10 GB free before proceeding.
3. Sign in at beta.apple.com. Open Safari on your iPhone or a computer and go to beta.apple.com. Sign in with your Apple Account. Registration is free and no longer requires a paid developer account. Once signed in, tap or click the iOS section and agree to the terms. If you also want to try the iPadOS 27 public beta on an iPad, the same Apple Account covers both enrolments, and the steps are nearly identical.
4. Enable beta updates on your iPhone. Open the Settings app, tap General, then Software Update, then Beta Updates, and select “iOS 27 Public Beta” from the list. If the public beta is not yet listed, it has not launched yet. As of July 1, the public beta is listed as “coming soon” on beta.apple.com, so enrollment may appear on devices before the first build is available. Apple TV owners can follow a parallel process to install the tvOS 27 developer beta on Apple TV 4K.
5. Download and install the update. Once the public beta is live and your device shows it as available under Software Update, tap Download and Install. Keep the iPhone plugged in and on Wi-Fi. Installation takes approximately 15, 25 minutes depending on the device, and the iPhone will restart at least once during the process.
6. Sign up for the Siri AI waitlist. After installation, if your device is an iPhone 15 Pro or newer, you will likely see a prompt to join the Siri AI waitlist. If you miss the prompt, look for it under Settings, then Apple Intelligence and Siri. The same iOS 27 beta also introduces the iOS 27 Shortcuts feature that lets you create automations by describing them in plain language, worth exploring once you are up and running. AirPods Max 2 firmware beta updates are also available and roll out automatically when the headphones are connected to a device running iOS 27. Siri AI availability will roll out gradually, so joining the waitlist early improves your odds of getting access closer to the September launch.