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Public beta 3 for iPadOS 26.5, watchOS 26.5, and more available now

Avatar for Ryan Christoffel  | Apr 21 2026 - 10:17 am PT
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Apple has just released public beta 3 for iPadOS 26.5, watchOS 26.5, and more. Here’s what to expect from this latest beta wave.

Apple releases public beta 3 for iPadOS 26.5 and more

Public beta testers have new updates available to install today.

It’s been only a week since public beta 2 arrived for Apple’s 26.5 lineup, but now public beta 3 is here.

Yesterday, developer beta 3 dropped with minimal user-facing changes. Instead, Apple appears focused on bug fixes and performance improvements.

Now, those same exact software builds are available in public beta 3 versions too. That includes iPadOS 26.5, watchOS 26.5, tvOS 26.5, and more.

If you’re interested in joining Apple’s public beta program, it’s free to sign up.

Visit beta.apple.com to enroll for the first time, and you can install the forthcoming software updates ahead of their public launch.

As with all beta software, the public beta releases may introduce more bugs and performance issues on your devices, so proceed with caution.

If you want to wait, the full 26.5 family of software updates is expected to ship in just a few weeks.

Have you discovered anything new in public beta 3 for Apple’s 26.5 updates? Let us know in the comments.

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Author

Avatar for Ryan Christoffel Ryan Christoffel

Ryan got his start in journalism as an Editor at MacStories, where he worked for four years covering Apple news, writing app reviews, and more. For two years he co-hosted the Adapt podcast on Relay FM, which focused entirely on the iPad. As a result, it should come as no surprise that his favorite Apple device is the iPad Pro.