Apple's iOS 18 Public Beta Is Here: How To Start Using It On Your iPhone

In June 2024, at Apple's annual developer conference, the company announced iOS 18, the newest version of its smartphone operating system. Apple also used the occasion to seed the developer preview of iOS 18 to Apple Developers. Fast-forward a month, and Apple has now confirmed a wider release of iOS 18, with the release of the first public beta of iOS 18. While the developer preview was only intended for developers, this public beta will let a wider swathe of audience, including enthusiasts and tech reviewers, take an early look at all the new features of iOS 18 before Apple releases the stable version of the OS later this year.

iOS 18 is a significant update for Apple iPhones and brings a lot of longstanding features to the platform. The most significant of these include a plethora of UI customization options rivaling that of Android, support for RCS messaging, and a redesigned Control Center. Apple also confirmed that iOS 18 will be infused with many AI features, thanks to a new collaboration with OpenAI — the company behind ChatGPT.

A lot of people have been waiting to test out these new features of iOS 18, and with the release of the first public beta, they will be able to experience what using the stable version of iOS 18 would be like later this year. If you are interested in trying out iOS 18 Public Beta, too, here's what you need to do.

At the outset, let us remind you that installing Beta software on your primary smartphone isn't a great idea, given that the software is still in its testing phase. We always recommend using a spare iPhone — ideally a secondary device — to install any beta software. We also recommend backing up all data and settings on your iPhone using the iCloud backup option before you proceed. 

With the disclaimer out of the way, here's what you need to install iOS 18 Public Beta on your iPhone. Once you have ensured that you have a compatible iPhone, you need to visit the Apple Beta Software Program website and enroll yourself in the Beta program. Ideally, doing this using the Safari browser on the iPhone you intend to install the beta software would be a good option because you can sign up for the program using the "sign in with Apple ID" option on the website. 

Once you sign up, open up the Settings app on the iPhone and navigate to Settings > General > Software Update. Check if you see an option that reads "iOS 18 Public Beta", along with an "Update Now" option at the bottom of the screen. You may also choose to click another option that reads "Update Tonight" if you want to defer the installation to some time later.

Once you select install, it will take a while for your iPhone to install the new software. Wait for the installation to complete, and once it's done, you should be able to have a sneak preview of iOS 18 on your iPhone well before the stable version comes out later this year.

While installing beta software on any device is an exciting prospect, it is important to understand that early beta software versions tend to be unstable and riddled with bugs. Do not expect all features to run properly, and there is a good chance that some of your important apps may also stop working. It is also plausible that a lot of new features announced for iOS 18 may not work at all in the beta version. 

Another thing to note is to ensure that your iPhone is actually compatible with iOS 18 Public Beta. Thankfully, you will need to own a really old iPhone to be left out of this Public Beta party because iOS 18 Beta is officially supported on all iPhones released after the iPhone XR (which came out in 2018). Even the iPhone SE (Second Generation) released in 2020, is officially supported.

Note that alongside iOS 18 Public Beta, Apple has also released the public beta versions of iPadOS 18 and watchOS 11. In case you have spare iPads and Apple Watches at your disposal, you can try installing the beta software on these devices as well.