How to Install IOS 18 Beta
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After months of rumors and speculation, the WWDC keynote has come and gone. Along with it , Apple introduced iOS 18 , the next big update for all compatible iPhones. While the company won’t release iOS 18 to the general public until this fall, the software is available for testing right now—provided you’re willing to take the risks.
What’s new in iOS 18?
Apple has given us a fairly modest iPhone update this year, at least for most of our devices. The most important features at the top of the keynote included the ability to choose where you can place your apps on the home screen (insert joke here about Android having had this for years), a messaging overhaul (including the ability to schedule messages, thank goodness). ), as well as a new Passwords app that gives iCloud Keychain users a reason not to switch to LastPass or 1Password.
But the biggest new features to date are based on ” Apple Intelligence “, Apple’s trademark for its artificial intelligence systems. With Apple Intelligence, you can ask Siri to perform tasks across apps, ask the AI to rewrite any text for you, and generate images and Genmoji. While these features are technically part of iOS 18, they are not available in the current beta and will be available to testers this summer. (They’re also only available on iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max.)
Why you shouldn’t install the iOS 18 beta
Look, I’m not the Apple police: I can’t stop you from installing iOS 18 in its current form on your iPhone. If you want to try out all the new features Apple mentioned today on the virtual stage, that’s up to you.
However, the standard disclaimer for any beta release is that installing software that is currently in testing and has not been approved for general release is risky. By installing the first beta of iOS 18, you’re welcoming potential bugs and glitches that Apple hasn’t yet sorted out, potentially resulting in the loss of any data that wasn’t properly backed up before installation. Unless you know what you’re doing or are worried about losing all your stuff, it’s best not to install beta software on your primary devices.
This isn’t even the iOS 18 public beta: it’s the iOS 18 Developer Beta, a version of the software aimed at iOS developers. Apple is giving these users an early look at the new software so they can test it with their apps and make sure everything is optimized for the iOS 18 release in the fall. If you want to wait for the public beta, which will fix some of the issues in the iOS 18 developer beta, that will happen sometime in July.
However, if you just like to live on the edge, you can install iOS 18 on your compatible iPhone right now.
Installing the iOS 18 beta for developers
The first thing you should do before installing beta software on your iPhone is to back it up. Don’t rely on iCloud: if your iPhone makes a new backup after installing the beta update, it will overwrite the old backup. Instead, connect your iPhone to your Mac or PC and create a backup via Finder or iTunes .
Previously, installing the developer beta required an iOS developer account, which caused users who didn’t want to pay Apple the $100 account fee to download the beta from random sources on the internet. Apple has put an end to this and now allows you to install the developer beta right from Settings, even if you’re not an iOS developer.
To get started, go to Settings > General > Software Update , then tap Beta Updates . Select iOS 18 Developer Beta, then tap Back . Once you see the iOS 18 Developer Beta downloading on this screen, click Download and Install .