Starting with iOS 16.4 Apple brought the ability to turn on developer and public betas right within Settings.
While Apple at first said you’d have to use the same Apple ID as in iOS Settings to get the betas, that changed earlier this spring. Now you can select which Apple ID you want to use with the beta.
Keep in mind the first beta will naturally include bugs and performance issues. Apple recommends only installing the beta on devices dedicated for software development.
How to install iOS 17 beta
The first developer beta is available now and Apple shared that the first iOS 17 public beta will be released in July. However, first the first time, Apple has made the developer beta free for all.
- An Apple Developer account is no longer needed
- Make a fresh backup of your iPhone or iPad – important in case you want or need to downgrade to iOS 16 (Apple recommends doing a Mac or PC backup)
- Launch the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad running at least iOS 16.4
- Tap General > Software Update
- Choose the new Beta Updates button (it may take a moment to appear)
- Now choose Developer Beta
- If you need to change your Apple ID associated with the beta, you can tap that at the bottom
- Choose Back when done
- Look for iOS 17 Developer Beta to appear, choose Download and Install
If you’re not seeing the option to turn on beta updates or iOS 17 appear:
- Try quitting and relaunching the Settings app
- Double check you’re running iOS 16.4 or later (if not you’ll need to update before getting the in-Settings beta option)
The first iOS 17 beta comes in at just over 3 GB in size. And when it comes to compatibility, Apple did drop some devices:
- iOS 17 drops support for iPhone 8 and X, here are all compatible models
