While most beta users, and likely Apple too, are focused on the MacOS Golden Gate 27 betas and iOS 27 betas, a separate beta channel remains for current versions of Apple system software, and those have been updated today. With the second beta version of MacOS Tahoe 26.6 beta, iOS 26.6 beta, and iPadOS 26.6 beta, being released for developers, there are now two separate beta tracks going for developers to follow.

Interestingly, some RC builds of betas for MacOS Sequoia 15.7.8 and MacOS Sonoma 14.8.8 were also made available, suggesting perhaps that MacOS Tahoe 26.6 and iOS 26.6 might be finalized sooner than later, despite being only in their second beta release.

Again, these are new betas for MacOS 26 and iOS 26, NOT the just released betas for MacOS 27 and iOS 27. If you already installed MacOS 27 beta, iPadOS 27 beta, or iOS 27 beta, you will not find beta builds available for OS 26.6.

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MacOS Golden Gate 27 is the latest version of MacOS system software to come from Apple, debuting at WWDC 2026. With the emphasis being considerably geared towards performance and stability, Golden Gate brings refinements both under the hood and in the user interface, with improvements to the Liquid Glass UI, new Siri AI and Apple Intelligence features, and iPhone Mirroring can be resized. Developers and enthusiasts are excited to get their hands on MacOS Golden Gate 27 beta and try out all the changes and new features.

It’s important to remember that beta versions of system software are intended for advanced users only, and these early developer betas are really only appropriate for advanced users who are comfortable with beta system software. Expect bugs, less stability, poor performance, incompatibilities, quirks (like the Dock randomly not working, as has happened for some in Golden Gate Beta 1), and just an unpolished experience. If you’re ok with that giant caveat, then read along and you’ll have MacOS Golden Gate 27 beta installed on your Mac in no time.

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Did you know Google Earth now has a flight simulator built-in to the web version of the app? The Google Earth Flight Simulator was recently launched, and it’s kind of an Easter Egg in that it’s slightly tucked away, but but also kind of not, because it’s just a menu option away from accessing at anytime. Nonetheless, as a Google Earth user myself, I didn’t know the Flight Simulator feature existed until recently stumbling upon it, so you might be like me and oblivious to a neat little fun gaming feature being right there, just a click away.

Here’s how you can use the Flight Simulator at any time using the Google Earth web app, all you need is a computer and a keyboard to get started.

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Looking for a Father’s Day gift, or maybe just shopping for yourself? Check out these great deals from Amazon on select Apple gear.

Apple Watch Series 11 for $299 ($100 Off)

Apple Watch Series 11 is available starting at just $299, in a variety of color and band combinations. Why pay full price when you can enjoy Amazon’s $100 discount?

• Get Apple Watch Series 11 for $299 ($100 off from $399)

AirPods Pro 3 for $179

AirPods Pro 3 for just $179 is a rare deal, cutting $70 off the retail price. These are wildly popular headphones for a reason! You can also get the AirPods 4 for just $99 if you don’t need all the fancy features like hearing aid functionality, that the Pro models offer.

• AirPods Pro 3 for $179 (down from $249)
• AirPods 4 for $99 (down from $129)

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Running MacOS Beta versions within a virtual machine is generally a fantastic way to test out system software without having to fully commit to running the beta as the primary operating system. But sometimes even trying to get the VM setup fails. In this case, trying to install macOS Golden Gate 27 beta in a virtual machine may result in failure, error messages, or boot failures, preventing MacOS 27 beta from installing or running in the VM.

For example, attempting to install MacOS Golden Gate 27 beta into a virtualization app with a restore IPSW file may result in an error message that says the following: “An error occurred during installation. Installation failed.”

The screenshot here shows this error in UTM, but you might see the same or similar errors in other virtualization apps, including virtualbuddy, tart, Parallels, Vmware, and others too.

Early testing of MacOS Golden Gate beta has suggested there’s a compatibility issue with virtualization environments, making the installation impossible in many cases, if not difficult. If you’re experiencing this issue, it is frustrating, but know that you certainly aren’t alone.

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iPadOS 27 is here, announced at WWDC 2026, with a huge emphasis on performance improvements, efficiencies, Liquid Glass adjustments and a slider, lots of little changes, and some pretty major new Apple Intelligence and Siri AI features. If you’re excited about trying out iPadOS 27 beta on your iPad, you might be wondering about installing the developer beta now and getting an early look at the changes and experience.

The typical caveats apply here, because we mostly do not recommend installing early beta system on any device. But if you’re going to ignore that caution, and want to try out iPadOS 27 beta right now anyway, and you’re comfortable with bugs, app incompatibilities, incomplete features, and other known issues that are common in beta system software, you’re in the right place. And yes, we understand the irony of installing a buggy beta of iPadOS that otherwise is focused on performance improvements, but it’s a beta!

Read along and we’ll be walking you through the steps to install iPadOS 27 developer beta onto your iPad.

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If you’re already running the macOS 27 Golden Gate beta, and you’d like to gain access to the new Siri capabilities that require joining a waitlist, you can use a little Terminal trick to bypass the Siri waitlist. Really! And no, you don’t need to disable SIP or do anything too crazy, it’s achieved through a defaults write command.

And once you bypass the Siri waitlist on the Mac, you will also have access to the new Siri AI features on any iPhone or iPad sharing the same Apple ID running iOS 27 beta or iPadOS 27, so this approach functions as a way to bypass the Siri waitlist on iPhone and iPad too.

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Amazon is cutting a whopping $70 off the price of AirPods Pro 3, bringing these wildly popular headphones down to the price of just $179. A gift for Father’s Day? A treat for yourself or a loved one?

• AirPods Pro 3 for $179 (down from $249)

M5 MacBook Air 15″ from $1099

Amazon is still offering the base model 15″ MacBook Air M5 at a $200 discount in the Midnight color, a fantastic Mac at a great price:

• 15″ M5 MacBook Air – 16GB – 512GB – $1099 ($200 off, Midnight color)

More Apple Deals from Amazon

• Apple Watch Series 11 – $299 (from $399)
• 13″ MacBook Neo – 256GB – $589
• 13″ MacBook Neo – 512GB for $689 ($10 off)
• M4 iPad Air 13″ – $749 ($50 off)

FTC: OSXDaily is an affiliate partner with Amazon, meaning if you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment which goes towards keeping the site running.

Now that iOS 27 has been announced at WWDC 2026, any user who is registered with the Apple Developer program can download and install the iOS 27 beta onto a compatible iPhone model. And while we generally do not recommend installing the iOS 27 developer beta unless you’re an advanced user or onto a secondary device, the reality is that many people are going to throw caution to the wind and want to install the iOS 27 beta onto their iPhone.

iOS 27 has an emphasis on performance and stability improvements, Liquid Glass refinements, and lots of new Apple Intelligence and Siri AI features, plus there’s some app redesigns, and little tweaks and changes that many people will appreciate. Nonetheless it is still a beta release, and at this stage it’s an early developer beta, and thus it’s really only appropriate for advanced users to bother with. If you consider yourself to be in that category, then read along and you’ll be installing the iOS 27 beta onto your iPhone in no time.

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Apple has just announced iOS 27 for iPhone and iPadOS 27 for iPad, with many updates aimed mostly at performance enhancements, and some tweaks to the Liquid Glass interface and app designs, and some of the newest features are concentrated in Siri and Apple Intelligence. It’s understandable for all users to be excited when new system software is released, and the OS 27 suite is no exception, but that doesn’t mean everyone should jump into the beta.

While literally anyone can enroll their Apple ID into the developer beta program and gain access to download and install the iOS 27 beta and iPadOS 27 beta, that doesn’t mean you should do so. In fact, the vast majority of users should not run beta system software at all, particularly these early development betas.

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Apple has released the first beta versions of the all new iOS 27, iPadOS 27, MacOS Golden Gate 27, watchOS 27, and tvOS 27, to users who are enrolled to participate in the developer beta testing programs for Apple system software.

With a big emphasis on performance improvements, feature refinements, a new Siri app, and new Apple Intelligence features, many users are excited about the latest OS 27 beta suite being available already, but these are betas aimed at developers, not casual users.

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Apple has announced the next major version of system software for iPhone, versioned as iOS 27, along with iPadOS 27 for iPad.

iOS 27 includes a variety of new features, but also has a heavy focus on performance, optimization, and general improvements to the operating system for iPhone and iPad. You’ll also find subtle refinements to the Liquid Glass interface, some apps have been redesigned, and there are plenty of new AI based features including a dedicated Siri AI app, if you have an iPhone or iPad compatible with all the AI features anyway.

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The next major version of MacOS, versioned as MacOS Golden Gate 27, has been announced by Apple at WWDC 2026. MacOS Golden Gate 27 apparently has a significant emphasis on stability, performance, and general improvements to the Mac operating system. Of course you will also find some new features and changes as well, including a dedicated Siri app.

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TestFlight is an Apple developer app used for beta testing applications before they are available to the general public on the App Store. With TestFlight, a developer can easily distribute pre-release versions of their apps to users for beta testing, and the beta tester can easily download, install, and run the beta app.

With WWDC just around the corner, where many apps will be in beta, now seems like a great time to review how to use TestFlight to download and install a beta app onto your iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, or Apple Vision Pro. The TestFlight app works the same basically across all devices, the only question is whether or not the app you’re beta testing is for a specific platform, or all devices.

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Amazon is taking $100 off the price of the Apple Watch Series 11, so check out the various color and band combinations to find the model right for you:

• Get Apple Watch Series 11 for $299 ($100 off from $399)

AirPods from $99

Amazon is discounting AirPods Pro 3 by $50, cutting the price of the popular earbuds down to just $199. You can also get the AirPods 4 for just $99:

• AirPods Pro 3 for $199 (down from $249)
• AirPods 4 for $99 (down from $129)

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Did you know your Apple Watch can track the amount of time you spend in daylight? Indeed, Apple Watch models can use a built-in light sensor to automatically detect when you’re outside, recording the total amount of time you spend in daylight, and this is documented as a Health metric.

Time in Daylight matters for various health reasons, ranging from eyesight and eye health, to mood, sleep, and the critical hormone Vitamin D, which NIH says is linked to bone health, neurological health, and health of the immune system – pretty important stuff!

So, want to see how much time you’re spending in daylight and add it to your Health metrics to review on Apple Watch? We’ll show you how.

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WWDC 2026 starts next week, where we will all get a first look at iOS 27, MacOS 27, iPadOS 27, and whatever else Apple is cooking up on the software side of things for us. To get into the spirit, Apple has provided a nifty WWDC 2026 wallpaper under a tagline that says “Glow All Out”, and the wallpaper is the top half of the Apple logo glowing. Presumably the glowing look and reference is a hint of something to expect at WWDC, perhaps a refinement to the Liquid Glass interface, or a new Siri/AI interface, both, or something else.

• Head over to developer.apple.com to snag the wallpaper for your device
• Grab a JPG version in 6016 × 6016 resolution directly here

The wallpapers are for Mac, iPhone, or iPad, allowing you to grab whichever for your device.

The Mac wallpaper is 6016 × 6016 and weighs a whopping 96 MB in PNG format, but we’re re-hosting a 1 MB JPG format version below that you can use on any device you want if you don’t want to take up quite as much storage for a single wallpaper, click the thumbnail to open the full size JPG version in a new window:

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iOS 26.5.1 update has been released by Apple, aimed at all models of iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Air, to address an issue where the iPhone may not charge if the battery is low. The problem appears to only impact iPhone 17 models and iPhone Air, and thus the update is not available for all iPhone models.

Separately, Apple has released MacOS Tahoe 26.5.1 update to fix an issue with enterprise M5 Macs.

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