Here's What's New in the iOS 27 and MacOS 27 Second Public Betas
Siri gets several additional voice options.
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Emily Long Freelance Writer
Experience
Emily Long is a freelance writer based in Salt Lake City.
After graduating from Duke University, she spent several years reporting on the federal workforce for Government Executive, a publication of Atlantic Media Company, in Washington, D.C. She has nearly a decade of experience as a freelancer covering tech (including issues related to security, privacy, and streaming) as well as personal finance and travel.
In addition to Lifehacker, her work has been featured on Wirecutter, Tom’s Guide, and ZDNET. Emily has also worked as a travel guide around the U.S. and as a content editor. She has a masters in social work and is a licensed therapist in Utah.
July 23, 2026
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Key Takeaways
Apple just released the second public betas of both iOS 27 and macOS 27, While the macOS 27 update seems to be mostly small improvements to performance and stability, the latest iOS 27 release did introduce some more substantive changes. Siri AI, Apple Intelligence, and Liquid Glass are the marquee features coming with the "27" software versions.Table of Contents
Apple just released the second public betas of both iOS 27 and macOS 27—only a week after the launch of public beta 1—so anyone signed up for the beta program can now test the latest public version of the software on their compatible iPhones and Macs.
The biggest features coming to iOS 27 and macOS 27 are related to Siri AI, Apple Intelligence tools, and Liquid Glass customizations, as well as performance upgrades; so if you don't want to wait until the full release in the fall to try these out, you can install the public betas as they become available.
iOS 27 and macOS 27 public beta 2 updates
Last week, Apple released iOS 27 and macOS beta 4 for developers, which 9to5Mac notes are the same build as public beta 2. While the macOS 27 update seems to be mostly bug fixes and small improvements to performance and stability, the latest developer release for iOS 27 did introduce some more substantive changes.
For example, Siri has several additional voice options, and there's a new splash screen for Siri AI that explains its features when users open it for the first time. There's an adaptive mode slider for AirPods Pro in the Control Center, and the TV app will automatically download upcoming episodes for shows you are watching and remove downloads to manage storage space. You can also adjust how much text is previewed in chat lists, and "Zoom Photos to Fill" allows images to automatically fill your device's display.
What do you think so far?
How to try the iOS 27 and macOS 27 public betas
Anyone with a compatible device can try Apple's public betas—you'll just need to enroll your Apple Account in Apple's beta program. We've covered the process for both iOS 27 and macOS 27, including which devices can run the update and the potential risks involved with installing a public beta. While public betas are typically safer than developer betas, they're not perfect, and it's always possible that bugs will slip through. At the very least, you'll want to make sure you have a backup of your data, just in case.
