In the past, Apple developer betas were limited to developers with paid $99 per year accounts, but with the launch of various system betas presented at WWDC 23, this is also changing. The developer beta versions of Apple iOS 17, watchOS 10 and macOS Sonoma are fully open to all users for free download and installation.
Apple iOS 17, watchOS 10, macOS Sonoma developer beta, open to all users for free download and installation!
After the end of WWDC 2023, the developer beta versions of iOS 17, iPadOS 17, watchOS 10, macOS Sonoma and other systems that are expected to be officially launched in the fall have been opened to all users for free testing, even without joining the Apple Developer Program ( Apple Developer Program) can also be installed to experience, of course, the new free beta version and the paid membership of the Apple Developer Program are still somewhat different.
How to download and install?
If you want to experience the new features of iOS 17 in advance, how to update and install this iOS 17 developer beta? As long as you have an Apple ID, you can download the experience developer beta.
First open “Settings” and select “Software Update” on the general page. At this time, after checking iOS 17 Developer Beta in the “Beta Version Update Project”, you will see that the update content is ready to download.
The next process of updating the software is not much different from the usual update of the iOS system.
If you want to update the developer beta version of watchOS 10, you must first update the iPhone to the iOS 17 developer beta version, and then download the watchOS 10 Developer Beta from the software update of the Watch App and install the update.
After the update is complete, it can also be confirmed on the iOS side that the current Apple Watch has been updated to the watchOS 10 developer beta.
However, I would like to remind everyone that many obvious bugs have been found in the initial developer beta versions of iOS 17 and watchOS 10. For example, the author has encountered problems such as the occasional stickers cannot be selected in the LINE App, and the transmitted pictures will be deformed.
Therefore, it is recommended that if you want to experience it, you should also avoid using your main device to update. At the same time, if you are not in a hurry to experience it first, or you can accept possible errors, it is better to wait for the official version to go online in the fall before updating!
Now, ordinary people who want to experience developer beta versions such as iOS 17 for free only need to have an Apple ID. According to Apple Developer, the differences in permissions between the Apple Developer Program and the free version are as follows:
Further reading:
iOS 17 support device list released, iPhone 8/ 8 Plus, iPhone X will not be able to upgrade
