All Blog News

All the blog entries

  • | |

    Apple has released the public betas of iOS 26 and its other “26” operating systems

    Apple just released the public betas of iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS Tahoe 26, tvOS 26, HomePod software 26, watchOS 26 and AirPods firmware.

    These public beta versions correspond with the latest developer betas in terms of the features and stability. Apple released the first developer beta of iOS 26 following the conclusion of its WWDC25 keynote in June. Downloading developer betas requires a paid membership with the Apple Developer Program, but public betas are available to the general public for free.

    To download and install the iOS 26 public beta on your iPhone, visit beta.apple.com and sign in with your Apple account. Then, you’ll need to go to Settings > General > Software Update > Beta Updates and choose the iOS 27 beta.

    Apple launches the public betas of iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS 26 and more

    Doing so will let you download and install an over-the-air iOS 26 update on your iPhone using the standard Software Update mechanism. Your iPhone must use the same Apple account you used to enroll in the Apple Beta Software Program in order to access prerelease software.

    The Enroll Your Devices section of the Apple Beta Software Program website provides instructions for installing other betas, including the AirPods beta firmware to test the new audio features coming this fall to AirPods owners.

    All of Apple’s “26” operating systems bring a glassy design overhaul of the user interfaces across the iPhone, iPad, Mac and other Apple devices, dubbed Liquid Glass. Aside from the redesigned interface, these updates bring a bunch of other features and quality-of-life changes including a Phone app on the Mac, a new Apple Watch gesture, a proper windowing system for the iPad and much more.

    Is the iOS 26 public beta worth installing?

    The current state of the iOS 26 beta is pretty great, as Apple has dialed back some of the more controversial design changes. There aren’t too many bugs, at least in my personal experience, and even battery life is pretty solid. If you’d like to test-drive the new features before they launch for everyone, you can confidently install the public betas on your devices, as doing so won’t erase your data or settings.

    Just remember to make a full device backup on a computer prior to updating to iOS 26, and then archive it so you can restore your device from it in case you want to downgrade from iOS 26.

    Source link: https://www.idownloadblog.com/2025/07/24/apple-releases-ios-26-public-beta/

  • |

    Qi2 25W wireless charging goes official ahead of the iPhone 17 lineup

    The latest specification boosts the wireless charging speed from the 15W supported by the previous Qi2 version to 25W, and some iPhones are supported.

    The Wireless Power Consortium (WPC), an industry consortium that develops open standards which ensure worldwide compatibility of all wireless chargers and power sources, yesterday published the official specification of the Qi2.2 protocol.

    The press release notes that the momentum building behind the Qi 2.2 wireless charging protocol, rebranded as Qi2 25W, is “incredible.”

    What iPhones will support Qi2 25W wireless charging?

    It’s unclear at this moment if the latest 25W Qi2 specification can be implemented on existing iPhones via software (which was the case when Qi2 was first released) or if new hardware is required. Regulatory filings for unreleased Apple MagSafe chargers indicate that the upcoming iPhone 17 lineup will support Qi2 25W. In the Android camp, major companies like Samsung are expected to add support for Qi2 25W.

    iPhone and Android owners will also need compatible chargers to take advantage of the faster Qi2 25W wireless charging. Accessory vendors have now begun unveiling compatible chargers ahead of the iPhone 17 lineup in the fall.

    For example, Ugreen’s MagFlow Magnetic Power Bank is the first charger to receive Qi2 25W certification from the WPC. Anker and Baseus have also received a certification for their upcoming chargers. Twelve South, Nomad and other companies will also release chargers compatible with Qi2 25W.

    Qi2 25W brings 70 percent faster wireless charging

    Fady Mishriki, chair of the WPC’s Board of Directors, said that Qi2 25W delivers nearly 70 percent more power than the original Qi2.

    Qi2 brings MagSafe-like features such as magnetic alignment for improved charging efficiency and a secure connection between devices and chargers. That’s because Apple, a WPC member, has contributed MagSafe to the Qi2 specification. Current iPhones support both MagSafe and Qi2 at 15W. On the iPhone 16 models, MagSafe supports faster 25W charging when paired with Apple’s official 30W charger.

    What Qi2 25W means for you

    Qi2 25W will bring several benefits over the previous Qi2 15W standard, including faster top-up sessions and backward compatibility with existing chargers. Basically, you’ll go from cable-dependent fast charging to nearly the same speed, just by placing your phone on a compatible wireless pad or magnet.

    And because Qi2 25W is backwards compatible, any existing devices that are unsuitable to get Qi2 25W via a firmware update will still power up on Qi2 25W chargers, though at slower 15W speeds.

    Source link: https://www.idownloadblog.com/2025/07/24/qi2-25w-wireless-charging-iphone-announcement/