Apple Just Released the First Public Beta for iOS 18
It's official: The first public beta for iOS 18 is here. Now, anyone with a compatible iPhone can try out some of Apple's upcoming iPhone features, like total Home Screen customization and RCS support, before the software officially drops in the fall—that is, if they haven't been testing these features out already.
Public betas vs. developer betas
If you've been closely following iOS 18 news, you might know iOS 18 has actually been in beta testing since Apple announced the software last month. That beta program was reserved for iOS developers for the first three iOS 18 beta releases: Apple issues these developer betas first, so developers can test their own apps with the upcoming software and work through any bugs they find. After a month or so of testing, Apple roots out the worst of these issues, and typically offers a public version of the beta to anyone interested. Staggering the beta releases like this ensures a smaller pool of testers are installing the initial versions of the beta, so the most catastrophic bugs don't make their way to a larger pool of testers.
This is how Apple's beta program has worked for some time now. However, things have recently changed, in a way that makes this public beta's release not quite so relevant. In the past, Apple only offered the developer betas to registered iOS developers, which meant paying Apple's annual $99 fee. In this case, most of the users testing the first versions of an iOS beta were actually software developers, plus a small percentage of users who wanted to pay the fee to open up the developer beta. Otherwise, anyone interested would either need to wait for the public beta, or download the dev beta from a third-party website, the latter of which Apple strongly disapproved of.
Now, Apple allows anyone to enroll their iPhone in either the developer or public beta. If you want to try new iOS features as soon as Apple releases them, the developer beta is at your disposal, which means you don't need to wait for the public beta anymore.
The public beta is the safer bet
Still, it's not a bad idea to stick to the public beta if you aren't actually a developer: Apple still staggers its beta releases going forward, so the next developer beta will come out before the next public beta. The aforementioned strategy is still in effect here: If the developer beta contains a device-breaking glitch, Apple can fix it before releasing the same software to public testers. While all beta software is risky—it is, by definition, unfinished software—choosing the public beta gives you that added protection. I still wouldn't recommend you install the iOS 18 public beta on your only iPhone, but if you are going to do it, the public beta really is the safer option.
How to install the iOS 18 public beta
In the past, you used to have to download Apple's beta profile to your iPhone through a convoluted series of steps. (Apple didn't want everyone installing the beta to their devices.) However, installing a beta on your iPhone in 2024 is as easy as installing a typical update—so long as you've signed up for the beta program.
To start, head to Apple's beta program sign up site and hit Sign up to log in with the same Apple ID you use for your iPhone. Once you follow the steps on this site, head to Settings > General > Software Update, then tap Beta Updates. Here, choose iOS 18 Public Beta, then hit Back. Let the page load for a moment: When you see iOS 18 Public Beta, tap Update Now. Alternatively, you can choose Update Tonight if you don't have time to install the update now.
Remember, you need an iPhone XS, XR, or newer in order to install iOS 18. Not only is the iPhone X not compatible, Apple now considers it vintage.
After joining the beta program, you can access the iOS 18 public beta within the Software Update settings on your compatible iPhone. This less risky option allows you to try out tech innovations like total Home Screen customization and RCS support before the official release, but remember to consider this a test environment and refrain from installing it on your primary device.
As Apple now allows anyone to enroll in both the developer and public beta programs, the time gap between developer betas and public betas is maintained, providing an added layer of safety to the public beta.
