iOS 18 Public Beta: An Early Access Guide for the Brave at Heart [CNET]

Apple has released the iOS 18 public beta, meaning you don’t have to wait until fall to try out iOS 18. You can see what it’s like ahead of its official iPhone debut when it’s officially available later this year. It’s simple to download and install as well. All you need to do is sign up on Apple’s Beta Software Program website, and you’ll be on your way to becoming a beta tester from the comfort of your couch. 

You’re probably aware that the iOS 18 beta has been available to developers for over a month now, since June. Not everyone wants to run the developer beta, because, well, it’s for developers and is usually less stable than a public beta. Ultimately, both beta versions are not as stable as the general public iOS 18 release, but that won’t drop until fall, and you may not want to wait until then to try iOS 18.

Read more: iOS 18 Beta Cheat Sheet: All Your iPhone Update Questions Answered

iOS 18 brings several new major features and overhauls to the iPhone, including a completely redesigned photo album, text messages via satellite, a dedicated app for passwords, better customization for your home screen, an overhauled control center and support for RCS messaging.

In June, shortly after WWDC, Apple released the first developer beta of iOS 18. A few weeks later, the second iOS 18 developer beta dropped. And just last week, Apple announced iOS 18 developer beta 3. Today’s release is the first iOS 18 public beta, and several more will be released in the coming months.

Here’s everything you need to know about download the iOS 18 public beta on your iPhone.

First, does your iPhone even support iOS 18?

Apart from Apple Intelligence, which is going to be exclusive to the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max when it’s released later this year and next, iOS 18 works on a wide variety of iPhone models going as far back as 2018. Here’s the full list of iPhones that support iOS 18:

• iPhone SE (second generation and later)
• iPhone XR
• iPhone XS
• iPhone XS Max
• iPhone 11
• iPhone 11 Pro
• iPhone 11 Pro Max
• iPhone 12
• iPhone 12 Mini
• iPhone 12 Pro
• iPhone 12 Pro Max
• iPhone 13
• iPhone 13 Mini
• iPhone 13 Pro
• iPhone 13 Pro Max
• iPhone 14
• iPhone 14 Plus 
• iPhone 14 Pro
• iPhone 14 Pro Max
• iPhone 15
• iPhone 15 Plus
• iPhone 15 Pro
• iPhone 15 Pro Max

The iPhone 16, expected to be announced later this year, will run iOS 18 right out of the box.

Next, a warning…

A public beta is typically more stable than a developer beta — but it’s still a beta, which means you may deal with bugs and other critical issues that could negatively affect your phone. If you have a spare iPhone in your drawer somewhere, use that to run any iOS 18 beta, whether it’s the developer or public version.

However, in my personal experience, it’s usually fine to run a public beta on your main phone. You may encounter a bug here and there, maybe a function in a third-party app doesn’t work exactly as intended, because obviously it’s not yet optimized for any iOS beta software. But it’s never crippling, just maybe a little bit annoying, and if you don’t mind that, running the iOS 18 public beta on the iPhone you use every day shouldn’t be a big deal.

Also, before you think of updating to iOS 18, first update to the latest iOS 17 version (currently 17.5.1) and then back up your device. Go to Settings > your name > iCloud > iCloud Backup and hit Back Up Now.

How to download the iOS 18 public beta on your iPhone

Now that you’ve backed up your phone, you can download the iOS 18 public beta. Here’s what you need to do:

1. On your iPhone, go to the Apple Beta Software Program website and sign in (if you’re already a member) or sign up for the program. You need an Apple ID of course. If you’re signing up for the first time, follow the prompts.

2. Next, tap the iOS tab and you should see more information about the iOS 18 public beta.

3. Under Get Started, hit the blue enroll your iOS device link. 

4. Now go to Settings > General > Software Update > Beta Updates and choose the iOS 18 public beta to install.

5. Finally, go to Settings > General > Software Update and install the iOS 18 public beta. 

Once your phone reboots, you should be running the first iOS 18 public beta.

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