Release Candidate of macOS Tahoe 26.3 & iOS 26.3 Released for Testing
Apple has moved on to the Release Candidate phase of the beta cycle for macOS Tahoe 26.3, iOS 26.3, and iPadOS 26.3. The new RC builds are available for users participating in the beta programs.
Release Candidate builds indicate the end of the beta testing period, absent any major bugs or issues, and also serve as a way of determining that a public software update release is close. With the RC build released today, it’s reasonable to expect that the final versions of iOS 26.3, iPadOS 26.3, and macOS Tahoe 26.3, could be released within the next week or two.
No major new features or changes are expected in any of these software updates. It’s unclear which bugs are resolved in the latest RC builds, but there are some prominent frustrating issues that have irritated a large number of OS 26 users. (For example, Tahoe Mac users are hoping Reduce Transparency actually works again, but don’t hold your breath given Apple has released multiple updates without fixing that problem).
It is rumored that new MacBook Pro M5 models will be released in the near future, possibly even next week by press release, and it’s likely that macOS Tahoe 26.3 will debut to support that new hardware.
If you’re a registered developer, you can get the latest beta builds on your enrolled devices.
How to Download iOS 26.3 Release Candidate / iPadOS 26.3 Release Candidate
For iPhone and iPad users:
- Open the “Settings” app
- Go to “General” and then go to “Software Update”
- Select to update iOS 26.3 Release Candidate / iPadOS 26.3 Release Candidate
How to Download MacOS Tahoe 26.3 Release Candidate
For Mac users:
- From the Apple menu go to “System Settings”
- Go to “General” and then to “Software Update”
- Select to install the MacOS Tahoe 26.3 Release Candidate build
Hopefully there will be some significant bug fixes and improvements offered in these versions, as many users have been frustrated with macOS Tahoe in particular, but there are also complaints about Liquid Glass for iOS 26 on iPhone and iPad.
Aside from the RC and beta software, the current final builds of system software are iOS 26.2.1, iPadOS 26.2.1, and macOS Tahoe 26.2.
