Apple seeded iOS 27 Developer Beta 1 immediately after the WWDC 2026 keynote, and plenty of users who installed it are now facing the bugs that come with a very early beta. This tutorial covers how to roll back from the iOS 27 beta to stable iOS 26 by removing the beta profile, which keeps your data intact. This process applies to devices running iOS 16.4 or later.
What to know before you start
Apple does not allow downgrading between two official iOS versions. This process works specifically because iOS 27 is still in beta. The beta profile can be removed, and Apple is still cryptographically signing iOS 26, which allows a restore to it. Once iOS 27 ships publicly in September 2026, that window closes for good.
If you’re unsure which devices are covered, iOS 27 supports every iPhone that runs iOS 26, including iPhone 11 models and the iPhone SE 2.
Check your Apple Watch before doing anything else. If you installed watchOS 27 on your Apple Watch alongside the iPhone beta, rolling your iPhone back to iOS 26 will leave your Watch incompatible with the phone. You will need to address that separately.
Turn off automatic iCloud backups before proceeding. If iCloud backs up while your device is running iOS 27, it can overwrite the iOS 26 backup you need for data recovery.
Turn off beta updates (no data loss)
This is the recommended option for devices running iOS 16.4 or later and does not erase your iPhone. It stops your device from receiving further iOS 27 beta updates. When the next public iOS release arrives, you install it normally through Software Update. The trade-off: you stay on the iOS 27 beta build until that public release appears. If you also installed the iPadOS 27 beta on your iPad, the same steps apply, see our guide on how to install and manage the iPadOS 27 beta on your iPad for the full details.
- Go to Settings.
- Tap General.
- Tap Software Update.
- Tap Beta Updates.
- Tap Off.
Your data remains untouched. The device continues running its current iOS 27 beta build until the next official iOS version is released, at which point Software Update will offer the stable build.
If iOS 27 Developer Beta 1 feels too rough but you still want to preview the features, the iOS 27 public beta is expected in July 2026. That release will be considerably more stable than the first developer build, which is going through the bulk of its testing over the next several months before the September launch.
Restore to stable iOS 26.5
If you want to return to the current stable release, iOS 26.5, rather than waiting for the next update, you can restore your iPhone using a Mac or PC. This will erase the device, so make sure you have a backup made before you installed the iOS 27 beta.
- Back up your iPhone using iCloud or Finder (Mac) or iTunes (Windows) if you have not already done so.
- Connect your iPhone to your Mac or PC using a cable.
- On a Mac running macOS Catalina or later, open Finder. On a Windows PC, open iTunes.
- Select your iPhone when it appears in the sidebar.
- Click Restore iPhone. This will erase the device and install the latest signed stable version, currently iOS 26.5.
- Once the restore completes, set up your iPhone and restore your backup from before the iOS 27 beta installation.
Apple must still be signing iOS 26.5 for this to work. As long as iOS 27 has not shipped publicly, iOS 26.5 will remain signed and available through this method.
