Apple has begun distributing its eighth round of developer betas for iOS 27, iPadOS 27, tvOS 27, watchOS 27, visionOS 27 and macOS 27, as the company’s September special event draws nearer. The latest builds cover all six operating systems and are expected to reach general availability in September.
The eighth Apple Developer Beta builds follow the seventh round, which arrived on 24 August. The sixth was released on 17 August, and the fifth on 10 August. Earlier in the cycle, the fourth builds were distributed on 20 July, the third on 6 July, and the second on 22 June for most systems, with the watchOS 27 counterparts arriving on 23 and 25 June. The initial developer builds landed on 8 June, shortly after the WWDC keynote.
Build Numbers and Release Candidates
The current builds are as follows. iOS 27 beta 8 is 24A5430a, replacing 24A5424a. iPadOS 27 beta 8 is also 24A5430a, replacing 24A5424a. macOS 27 Golden Gate beta 8 is 26A5425a, replacing 26A5421a. tvOS 27 beta 8 is 24J5360a, replacing 24J5358a. watchOS 27 beta 8 is 24R5360a, replacing 24R5358a. visionOS 27 beta 8 is 24M5361a, replacing 24M5359a. HomePod Software 27 beta 8 is 24J5360a, replacing 24J5358a.
Alongside these, Apple has issued release candidates. macOS 26.7 RC 3 is 25G227, replacing 25G224, while macOS 15.8 RC 3 is 24H22, replacing 24H20.
The first round introduced updates to Liquid Glass, the overhaul of Siri, a selection of child-protective features and a number of smaller changes. The second iOS 27 beta added an update to Apple TV within the Home app, presenting it in the same way as a connected HomePod or HomePod mini, while Apple Wallet gained an insights option. The third round brought visual tweaks and further customisation options for Siri AI on newer iPhone models.
The fifth round expanded the Siri AI customisation options to British English, added visual adjustments across several apps and gave the Siri app icon a new Liquid Glass appearance. Settings introduced a Before Searching option, allowing users to choose which apps appear as suggestions, and Control Centre was altered to remove cellular network types while connected to Wi-Fi. The seventh round included a further Siri AI change, with references to a possible waitlist for the features to reach end users.
Proceed With Caution
Beta software should always be installed on secondary or spare hardware rather than daily-use devices, and this advice carries particular weight for early developer builds of an operating system still under active development. Such releases carry a higher chance of containing buggy, broken or potentially harmful elements.
The developer builds are intended to help developers understand the operating system changes ahead of the final public release later in 2026, and are not designed for consumer use. Members of the public who wish to try the new software should instead seek out the public betas, which off
Source
Image: appleinsider.com
