Apple releases public betas of iOS 27 and macOS 27: how to try the September updates right away

About a month after the world premiere of the WWDC, Apple officially opened the doors to its upcoming operating systems to the general public with the release of the first beta versions not limited to developers alone.

This step allows enthusiastic and curious users to preview what’s new in iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27 Golden Gate, watchOS 27 and tvOS 27, ahead of the final release of the stable version scheduled for early autumn.

iOS 27, iPadOS 27 and macOS 27: how to install the public beta

The new builds released for the public channel faithfully reflect the progress made with the third beta intended for developers. For operating systems dedicated to iPad and Mac, Apple has even made available some last-minute refinements, bringing the macOS 27 build to the build number 26A5378n and the iPadOS 27 build to the build number 24A5380I.

Those who have already installed these first releases (I’m testing the beta on a MacBook Pro M5) report an unusually high level of stability and smoothness compared with the historical standards of the summer test versions. Animations appear responsive and the overall navigation between menus does not exhibit the slowdowns that often characterize these stages of development.

Despite the overall robustness, these are still testing platforms. The installation of a beta carries intrinsic risks related to stability, with possible unforeseen drops in battery life, occasional overheating, or software incompatibilities.

This scenario occurs especially with applications that require high security standards, such as online banking services, healthcare portals and enterprise work tools, which could stop functioning until dedicated updates are released by the respective developers.

L’evoluzione di iOS 27 e iPadOS 27

The iPhone update focuses on significant performance gains that also positively affect devices from previous generations.

Apple has worked on code optimization to speed up application startup by up to 30% and accelerate the system keyboard response times. File sharing via AirDrop has also recorded a speed increase of up to 80% under optimal conditions.

The operating system now handles the dynamic handover between Wi-Fi networks and cellular networks in a much more responsive way, avoiding annoying temporary signal losses.

Another invisible yet profound change lies in the Spotlight search engine, completely rewritten to locally index the contextual information stored on your smartphone or tablet. This enables much more relevant results when searching for items among messages, contacts, and work files.

The Liquid Glass graphical interface, in turn, receives an aesthetic refinement thanks to a new transparency slider control, located within the customization options, capable of balancing the readability of text over backgrounds that are particularly rich in detail.

On the AI front for enabled devices, the introduction of advanced graphics tools for the Photos app has been announced, capable of removing unwanted elements or reconstructing portions of the image beyond the limits of the original shot.

Safari introduces automatic organization of tabs and the ability to generate extensions through simple natural-language text prompts, a mechanism similar to that applied to the Shortcuts app for guided creation of home or system automations.

Obviously, in these public betas Siri AI is still missing in the European territory.

macOS 27 Golden Gate e le altre piattaforme

The update for Apple computers adopts the same aesthetic standards introduced on mobile devices, integrating the interface transparency slider and adjusting the curvature of the window corners to give the desk a more modern and orderly look.

The sidebars now extend the full height of the screen, and multi-monitor configuration management has been made more consistent. On macOS, the new Siri AI will be partially accessible in the European Union as long as you configure the computer in English, since Mac systems are not subject to the same market constraints imposed on mobile devices.

As for the other devices in the ecosystem, watchOS 27 introduces a dynamic app layout with the virtual assistant in the foreground, while also improving the accuracy of walking and running metrics on treadmills.

On Apple TV, the update tvOS 27 brings with it a new way of managing family profiles and a redesigned Podcasts app, while on HomePod the software version 27 optimizes the stability of home connections and the management of high-resolution audio.

Come procedere all’installazione

To test these beta versions you need to have an Apple account registered for free on the official portal of Apple’s beta testing program.

Before starting any update procedure, it is strongly recommended to perform a full backup of your data on a local computer or on iCloud, so that you can restore the device in case of serious problems.

Once the profile registration on the dedicated website is completed, the procedure for iPhone and iPad involves opening the Settings app, going to the General section, and selecting the Software Update option.

On this screen, a specific option named Beta Updates will appear, where you will be able to select the option related to the public beta of iOS 27 or iPadOS 27. After confirming the choice, the system will show the availability of the installation package, allowing you to start the download immediately.

On Macs the procedure follows a very similar path. It is sufficient to open the Settings of the system, click on the General item, access the Software Update menu, and enable the reception of public beta releases to view the macOS 27 Golden Gate build.

For other devices, such as Apple Watch, Apple TV, and HomePod, the activation is carried out in a similar manner by accessing the respective configuration sections within the respective management apps on the paired smartphone, ensuring that the same Apple ID enrolled in the program is configured on all devices.