Testing Begins: Ubuntu 26.10 Snapshot 3 Released for Review

The third and potentially final monthly snapshot of Ubuntu 26.10, codenamed "Stonking Stingray," has been released for testing. Unlike the previous months of July and August, when no snapshots were made available, this release precedes the official beta scheduled for September 24.

Canonical’s Utkarsh Gupta has hinted at the possibility of an unexpected snapshot to test some revisions to the development machinery, but for now, this snapshot serves as a critical testing tool. These monthly snapshots, introduced in 2025, are designed strictly for testing; they are not production-ready and should be viewed as "throwaway artifacts" aimed at facilitating the development process.

The snapshots help set deadlines for developers to implement features to be tested while providing a platform for community testing. Generally, it is advisable to use the most recent daily build of Ubuntu 26.10 for a more stable experience, as these snapshots can become outdated quickly.

Since the last snapshot in June, various package updates have been integrated, including key elements from the upcoming GNOME 51 release, with new versions of default applications like Papers and Loupe. The snapshot runs on the Linux 7.2 kernel, which was released in August. However, users won’t see the new AI-powered speech-to-text feature, Myna, in this snapshot or the daily builds.

Unless you are a developer or a vigorous bug hunter, it may be best to hold off from using "Stonking Stingray" for regular use, as the official beta is just around the corner.

You can download Ubuntu 26.10 Snapshot 3 from the official cdimage server, which also includes various flavors and hardware variants, including support for Raspberry Pi and Arm64.