By Umar Shakir, Cameron Faulkner Barbara Krasnoff
Last month, the developer beta of iOS 17 hit — and it was accessible to everyone, non-developers included, for free. This month, the public beta has become available, and here we’re going to offer directions on how to install either on your iPhone or iPad once it’s available for your device.
Before we get started, a word of warning: beta software is inherently unfinished and may contain bugs. Apple’s public betas are generally more stable, but its developer betas are less so, and you should think carefully before installing either on any device you depend on. They also may not include all the features that will be in the final release. Your experience may differ from others, depending on the apps you use. And finally, if you do decide to install, we suggest backing up your device’s data in case things go badly.
The new iOS offers a wide range of cool new features. These include an interesting built-in journaling app, new safety features, a new nightstand mode, better contact cards, improved auto-correct and voice transcription, and live voicemail. Not to mention updates to stickers and AirDrop, keyboard updates, and the ability to be able to just say “Siri” without the extra “Hey!”
iOS 17 betas (both the developer and public versions) work on the following devices:
It is not available for the iPhone X, iPhone 8, or iPhone 8 Plus.
Apple has made it easier than ever to install beta releases of iOS. Here’s what you do (this was done on an iPhone 11 running iOS 16):
First, make sure that your device is running iOS 16.4 or later (by running Settings > General > About). If not, update your software by going to Settings > General > Software Update and downloading the latest version of iOS 16.
Once that’s done:
Update July 12th, 2023, 1:14PM ET: This article was originally published on June 6th, 2023, and has been updated to include the public beta.
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