How to Get Early Access to Everything Apple Announced at WWDC

Posted on June 4, 2018 by resourcefulman

New Mac App Store! Dark Mode! Desktop stacks ! FaceTime group ! Dick Tracy Mode for your Apple Watch! Today is WWDC day and this morning Apple unveiled many new features for its various platforms. (No, you don’t get more free space in iCloud, and yes, your Macbook Pro keyboard still sucks.)

The best way to get your hands on whatever Apple announced today, once it becomes available to the general public, is to volunteer to help Apple beta test its operating systems.

(You can also spend $ 99 to become an Apple developer and get even earlier access to beta versions of the operating system. I do know Apple fans who do this — those who have no intention or interest in making an app. Most people are not Beta should be bought, so I won’t go into details on that option, but I know it’s an option if you’re an Apple enthusiast.)

Will the beta destroy my device?

Testing an operating system that Apple is still polishing is a little scary because running a beta version of an OS always carries the risk of a bug making your device a paperweight (or at least a much slower device).

I’m just a one-man army, but for as long as I can remember, I’ve been using beta versions of Apple operating systems on my Apple devices. While it hasn’t always been smooth, I can’t remember the last time I encountered a critical slowdown or a bug causing the device to crash. In fact, I can’t remember ever having a catastrophic problem with a beta version of Apple software, unless you find that “sometimes notification sounds sound weird” as catastrophic. That doesn’t mean it isn’t happening or that you won’t experience it yourself, but this is the one tiny data point that keeps me going with Apple software beta software – for now.

And the reckoning? Help Apple by launching beta versions of macOS and iOS and you can play with new features like Messages to iCloud, which recently (officially) debuted (officially) with the recent launches of iOS 11.4 and macOS 10.13.5 – and probably will be able to download the final public versions of major OS updates (like iOS 12) about a week before everyone else. It might not be worth writing about in your annual holiday letter, but it’s always nice to have the hottest new features before everyone else. Impress the date with your pretty new Memoji.

How to sign up for beta updates for your iPhone and iPad

Back up your iPhone. Your device should be sending backups to iCloud on a regular basis, but you can start this manually by clicking Settings, clicking on your name or the Apple ID icon (the first section that appears), clicking iCloud, scrolling down to iCloud Backup (and clicking on it), and then clicking the “Back up now” link. If you’re not using iCloud to back up your device, connect it to your laptop or desktop and back it up through iTunes instead.
Take out your iPhone, launch Safari, visit the Apple Software Beta Program website, and sign in with your Apple ID (or create one if you don’t have one for any reason).
Find the link “register your iOS device” and click on it.
Scroll down to the Upload Profile section and click the blue Upload Profile icon. Click Allow on the pop-up that appears to allow the Settings app to load the Apple Beta Profile.
Click “Install” in the upper right corner, log in to your device and click the “Install” link in the upper right corner again. And then click on the “Install” pop-up that appears at the bottom of your device.
When your device indicates that a restart is required, click Restart to do so. Wait a few minutes.
When you authenticate with your iPhone again, tap Settings, scroll down and tap General, and then tap Software Update to get the latest iOS beta.

How to sign up for beta updates for your Apple Watch

It’s simple: you can’t. Apple is not releasing public beta versions of watchOS as there is no way to downgrade a device if something goes wrong. If you’re using a developer account (for example, you pay Apple for a developer account), Apple provides simple instructions for downloading and installing the watchOS beta. Spoiler alert: The process is very similar to installing a beta version on your iPhone or iPad.

How to sign up for beta updates for your Mac

Back up your Mac for the same reasons as your iPhone or iPad – in case the beta crashes your system, you’ll want to have a recent system restore ready. I (and Apple) recommend Time Machine backups , but at least make sure you have recently completed whatever backup plan you use for your critical files. (Reinstalling macOS isn’t that difficult, but you definitely don’t want to lose data, for example, if you can no longer boot into the operating system.)
Launch Safari and visit the Apple Software Beta Program website. Sign in with your Apple ID (or create one and then sign in).
Find the link “register your Mac” and click on it.
Scroll down to the Register your Mac section and click the blue Download macOS Public Beta Utility icon. The file will download to your computer and it shouldn’t take long. After that, double click on it, install the package like any other downloaded app, and open the App Store as soon as it’s ready (if it doesn’t download automatically).
Once in the App Store, click Updates and install the latest macOS public beta if available.

How to sign up for beta updates for your Apple TV

Confession: I don’t have an Apple TV, so I didn’t go through the process myself. Apple explains it pretty clearly on their website, however, and it’s a simple process for your device.

First, go to beta.apple.com and sign in with the Apple ID you use on your Apple TV if you haven’t already asked to join the Apple Beta Program, that is. Accept any Apple agreements and close your browser as soon as you’re done.
Turn on your Apple TV and open the Settings app, then go to the Accounts section. Sign in with your Apple ID using whatever method you would normally use to sign in (iCloud, iTunes and the App Store or Game Center).
From there, return to the main settings screen and select the System option and then Software Update. Make sure you click the Get Beta Updates radio button and then select Update Software to check for anything new.

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