Apple has finally introduced its first public betas of iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27 Golden Gate, watchOS 27, visionOS 27, and tvOS 27.
Since the introduction of the 27-generation operating systems at WWDC in early June, Apple has been testing developer beta builds. A few rounds later, and it has started to do the same with the public beta.
A public beta differs from a developer beta in that the software has been tested enough to be less of a risk to end users. While a developer beta has the potential to cause problems for testers, the public variant is from a later stage with the bigger potential issues out of the way.
While the public beta is generally safer to use than a developer version, it's not entirely safe. There's still the risk of data loss and other issues, just that the chance is smaller.
AppleInsider and Apple strongly advise against users installing test operating systems or beta software onto primary or "mission-critical" hardware. That warning stands for both developer betas and public beta builds.
Just like the developer counterparts, public beta users should really install the operating systems onto secondary, non-essential hardware. Also, they should maintain sufficient backups of their critical data at all times.
We don't say this for fun. Every year, someone on our editorial team ends up suffering because of a problem with the developer betas. We have also heard countless stories of people going through the same issues, in varying degrees of magnitude.
Don't be like us. If you must try out the new operating systems, do it on the public betas instead of the developer ones.
Find any changes in the new builds? Reach out to us on X at @AppleInsider or @Andrew_OSU, or send Andrew an email at [email protected].
