Every build, as it ships. Updated within minutes of each Apple release.
Current status · Updated September 2, 2026
Apple hasn't announced iOS 28. The first developer beta is expected on June 7, 2027, immediately after the WWDC 2027 keynote. iOS 27 is the current beta cycle and ships this September.
Projected build schedule
What a real cycle looks like — iOS 27, running right now
The iOS 28 schedule above is a projection. The iOS 27 cycle below is not — it is happening now, and it is the closest thing to a preview of how next year will actually run. Build numbers and dates here come from Apple’s own developer releases feed, checked 2 September 2026.
Currently shipping
Two things worth taking from this: the first beta arrives on keynote day, and the gap from beta 1 to final release runs a little over three months. Both are why we can project the iOS 28 dates above with reasonable confidence rather than guessing. Curious how to read a build like 24A5430a? We decoded it.
All dates are projections from Apple's release history until Apple confirms them. See the methodology.
Knowing the rhythm tells you when it's safe to jump in.
June — the rough weeks. Beta 1 lands hours after the keynote and is the buggiest build of the year: heavy battery drain, third-party apps crashing, occasional overheating while the phone reindexes. It exists so developers can start adapting their apps, not so you can daily-drive it. Beta 2 arrives about two weeks later and fixes the worst of it.
July — it becomes usable. Developer beta 3 typically ships alongside the very first public beta, and that timing is not a coincidence: it's the point Apple considers the build fit for a wider audience. If you have one iPhone and you want to try iOS 28, this is the earliest sensible entry point — our public beta guide covers it.
August — polish. New features stop appearing and the cadence tightens to roughly weekly. Battery life usually recovers to near-normal. By late August, most people running the beta forget they're on one.
September — the finish line. Apple holds its iPhone event, then seeds a release candidate: the final build unless something serious surfaces. About a week later, iOS 28.0 goes out to everyone. Beta testers move onto the same final build automatically.
Whatever stage you join at, make an archived backup first — the how and why is here, and the way back out is here.
None have shipped yet. Developer beta 1 is expected on June 7, 2027. This page updates within minutes of each release — or turn on alerts and your phone will tell you.
Recent cycles have run seven to nine builds across roughly fourteen weeks, plus a release candidate. The schedule above reflects that pattern.
No. Once you're on the beta track, each new build arrives over the air like a normal software update.
Spare phone: beta 1, day one. Only phone: wait for the public beta in July, or late August for near-final stability. Our risk guide breaks it down honestly.