Before upgrading to the public beta version of iOS/iPadOS 26, we've prepared an important guide on upgrading and downgrading, along with some precautions for you.

Early in the morning on July 25th, Apple finally pushed the first Public Beta versions of iOS 26, iPadOS 26, watchOS 26, and macOS Tahoe this year. Users can register for the Apple Beta Software Program to update to the public beta system and experience new features in advance.

Since the beta system may have bugs that affect normal use and software compatibility cannot be guaranteed, we do not recommend that you upgrade your primary device to the Public Beta version at this time. If you have a suitable device and want to experience the new system features immediately, SSPAI has prepared this upgrade and downgrade guide for you.

Which devices can be upgraded to the new system

According to the information provided on the Apple official website, iOS 26 supports the iPhone 11 series (2019) and later iPhone models:

For iPadOS 26, the first-generation 11-inch iPad Pro (October 2018) and all subsequent iPad series products can be upgraded to the new system.

watchOS 26 supports the Apple Watch Series 6 (2020) and all subsequent Apple Watch series products.

Finally, for macOS Tahoe, since it is the last macOS version to support Intel models and there are significant differences between different Intel model types, the support situation is a bit complicated. You can directly refer to the compatibility list provided by Apple.

It should be noted that, as last year, visionOS 26 does not provide a Public Beta version this time.

Precautions before upgrading

Before upgrading the system, the first thing to do is to back up the important data on your device. Although most of the data of third - party applications can be backed up through iCloud or their own cloud storage services, there is still some data that users need to back up themselves, such as WeChat chat records.

If your iCloud storage space is limited, you can also choose to use Finder on a Mac or the Apple Device app on Windows to back up system data locally on your computer. To ensure the stability and efficiency of data transfer, we recommend that you use a wired connection to connect your computer to your phone or tablet device instead of using a wireless connection for backup. If you want to back up account passwords, data in the Health app, and HomeKit data, check the "Encrypt local backup" option. Then select "Back up now" and wait for the backup to complete.

Back up using the Apple Device app on Windows

Back up using Finder on macOS

After the backup is completed, you can click the "Manage backups" button below to view the backup records. Right - click on the backup and select "Archive" to ensure that the backup will not be overwritten by subsequent new backups.

Archive the backup to prevent it from being overwritten

For Macs, in addition to backing up app data through iCloud, you can also use Time Machine to back up the entire machine's data to an external hard drive. You can complete the relevant settings for the backup path in the "General" > "Time Machine" option in the system settings.

The data of the Apple Watch will be automatically backed up to the paired iPhone when connected to the iPhone. The iOS data backed up to iCloud or a Mac will include the backed - up Apple Watch data for you to restore when re - pairing the Apple Watch.

How to upgrade to the new system

Before upgrading to the new system, you need to register for the Apple Beta Software Program at https://beta.apple.com/zh-CN first.

After completing the registration process according to the prompts on the page, you can access the "General" > "Software Update" option in the system settings of the corresponding device, select the Public Beta project of the corresponding system in the "Beta Updates" section, and then go back to check for updates.

If you want to upgrade to watchOS 26, you need to open the Watch app on the paired iPhone, then follow the above steps to find "Beta Updates" and select "watchOS 26 Public Beta" to complete the upgrade to the beta system.

How to downgrade to the official version of the system

If you want to downgrade to a more stable official version of the system after upgrading to the beta system, you can operate as follows.

You can choose to download the system firmware package (in .ipsw format) of iOS / iPadOS 18 or macOS Sequoia in advance, or let Finder on a Mac or the Apple Device app on Windows automatically download the firmware package after entering recovery mode.

You can choose the following methods to enter recovery mode according to different devices:

• For iPads without a Home button: Press and quickly release the volume up button closest to the top button. Press and quickly release the volume down button farthest from the top button. Then continue to hold the top button until you see the recovery mode screen.
• For iPads with a Home button: Press and hold the Home button and the top (or side) button at the same time until you see the recovery mode screen.
• For iPhones: Press and quickly release the volume up button. Press and quickly release the volume down button. Finally, hold the side button until you see the recovery mode screen.

Recovery mode interface

Next, Finder or the Apple Device app will detect that you have a device in recovery mode and ask if you want to restore or update the device.

If you have downloaded the .ipsw file, hold down the Option key (Shift key on Windows) and click "Restore", then select the downloaded .ipsw file; if not, just click the "Restore" option. After that, the data on your phone will be erased, and the system will be restored to the latest stable version. After the restoration is completed, you can continue to use Finder or iTunes to restore the previously backed - up device data.

For Macs with Apple Silicon, you can hold down the power button in the shutdown state until you enter recovery mode. Then, after formatting the Mac disk through Disk Utility, select to reinstall macOS. The recovery mode will download and install the most recently installed official version of macOS for you. You can choose to restore the Mac backup created by Time Machine in the recovery mode. As for Intel - based Macs, you can refer to the official Apple help document to enter recovery mode.

If you have multiple Macs, you can also follow the official tutorial to flash the complete .ipsw firmware to the Mac you want to downgrade.

Please be cautious when upgrading your Apple Watch. After upgrading, the Apple Watch cannot be downgraded by itself. You need to go to an Apple Store and ask the clerk to assist you in completing the downgrade operation. At the same time, the beta system may have bugs that affect normal use and software compatibility cannot be guaranteed. We do not recommend that you upgrade your primary device to the Public Beta version at this time.

The above is the upgrade and downgrade process for the public beta versions of Apple's various operating systems. If you have other questions, welcome to communicate with us through comments.

Original article link

https://sspai.com/post/101313?utm_source=wechat&utm_medium=social

This article is from the WeChat official account "SSPAI" (ID: sspaime). Author: SSPAI Editorial Department. It is published by 36Kr with authorization.