Download iOS 16 beta to your iPhone: What you should know before installing it

The public beta of iOS 16 is here and now everyone with you a compatible iPhone can download it now and try it on their iPhone. It’s pretty easy to install and it’s free too. If you’re excited to try any of these The new features of iOS 16 (how lockdown mode or customizable lock screens), your wait is over.

In June, Apple released the iOS 16 developer beta for its developer conference, but not many people were authorized to download and install the software. Developer betas require membership in the Apple Developer Program, which costs $100 per year, and are also not recommended for everyday use unless you are a developer testing software, as developer betas are very buggy and can make your phone more difficult to use.

Apple has now released the public beta for iOS 16, which is said to be a bit more stable. All you have to do is sign up for the Apple Beta Software program, enroll your device and install a configuration profile to get iOS 16 Beta on your device. Here’s how.

More information can be found here redesigned and customizable lock screen on iOS 16 and some of the new Apple Maps features.

Before you begin, back up your iPhone

Getting your hands on pre-release software can be exciting, but there are precautions you should take before updating. All pre-release software like iOS 16 beta can contain bugs and other issues that can make your device difficult to use, so you should back up your device in case you want to go back to iOS 15.

By default, your iPhone should back itself up every time it’s connected to power and Wi-Fi during your regular sleep times. However, if this backup feature is disabled, you can go to settings > Your Name > iCloud > iCloud backup and then hit Secure now to secure your device.

Also, you can backup your iPhone to your Mac via Finder. Just connect your device to your computer, open Finder, select your device, and then create a backup. Apple also recommends archiving your backup to avoid being overwritten by other backups.

Sign up for the Apple Beta software program

Once your device is secured, it’s time to enroll in the Apple Beta software program, which allows anyone to try pre-release software for free to provide Apple feedback on quality, usability, and issues. Currently you can test iOS 16 beta on any compatible Apple device (iPhone 8 and later).

To enroll in the Apple Beta Software Program:

1. On your iPhone, go to the Apple Beta Software Program website.

2. Tap the blue registration button at the bottom of the page.

3. Use Face ID or Touch ID to sign in to the Apple ID associated with your iPhone.

4. Read and accept the Apple Beta Software Program Agreement.

On the next page, scroll down to Get started and tap Register your iOS device, which should be linked in the paragraph that appears. That brings you to another page where Apple shows everything you need to do to download and install iOS 16 beta on your iPhone.

Install the beta configuration profile for iOS 16

If you scroll down this page, you will see a section called Installation Profile. To download and install the iOS 16 beta on your device, you now need to install a configuration profile on your iPhone.

Essentially, a configuration profile allows a third party to manage your device; In this case Apple. You may be concerned whether or not this is a data breach, but rest assured that this configuration profile simply allows Apple to deploy and manage the iOS 16 beta on your device.

To install the configuration profile, press the blue Download profile button and then tap To allow in the appearing popup. Next, exit your web browser, launch the Settings app and tap Download profile at the top of the page. It should then show you a window for the iOS 16 public beta configuration profile. Beat To installenter your passcode, then press To install two more times. Finally tap Start anew to get the iOS 16 beta over-the-air update.

Download and install iOS 16 beta

Once your iPhone has booted back up, go to settings > General > software update, blow Download and install and enter your passcode to start updating to iOS 16 beta.

If for some reason you don’t see the Download and Install option, you may need to either wait a few minutes or clear your storage to make room. If you don’t have enough storage, you won’t be able to download iOS 16, so clear your storage by deleting large files and offloading heavy apps.

You should see a loading bar along with a rough estimate of how long the download process will take. Once the download is complete, restart your device and wait for iOS 16 beta to install. When your iPhone boots up, you should see that iOS 16 beta has been downloaded to your device.