Here’s how to install the iOS 18 beta

The iOS 18 beta is officially here for developers (for free). Like last year, it’s super simple to install the software thanks to a toggle in your iPhone settings. Follow along for how to install iOS 18 beta, as well as some tips and tricks.

iOS 18 comes with lots of new features and changes including upgraded Home Screen customization, an all-new Control Center, a Passwords app, overhauled Photos app, enhancements to Messages, Mail, Safari, and much more.

• Apple unveils iOS 18 with new home screen customization, Control Center revamp, more

While the iOS 18 developer beta is free for anyone, it’s not designed to be run on your main iPhone as there will be bugs and quirks. And don’t forget to backup your iPhone to a Mac or PC before installing the iOS 18 beta.

For now, the developer beta is the only iOS 18 version available. The first iOS 18 public beta will arrive in July.

How to install iOS 18 beta – developer

1. A paid Apple Developer account is no longer needed – but you may need to sign in with your Apple ID at developer.apple.com if you haven’t before
2. Make a fresh backup of your iPhone or iPad – important in case you want or need to downgrade to iOS 17 (Apple recommends doing a Mac or PC backup)
3. Launch the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad (running iOS 16.4 or later)
4. Tap General > Software Update
5. Choose the Beta Updates button (it may take a moment to appear)
6. Now choose iOS 18 Developer Beta
7. If you need to change your Apple ID associated with the beta, you can tap that at the bottom
8. Choose Back when done
9. Look for iOS 18 Developer Beta to appear, choose Download and Install

If you’re not seeing the option to turn on beta updates or iOS 18 appear:

• Try quitting and relaunching the Settings app
• Double check you’re running iOS 16.4 or later (if not you’ll need to update before getting the in-Settings beta option)
• Sign in with your Apple ID at developer.apple.com for free then try the above steps again

Here’s how the process looks:

Now you should see iOS 18 appear:

For compatibility, here are the devices iOS 18 supports:

• iOS 18: Here’s the list of iPhone models compatible with the update

Get caught up on everything Apple announced at the WWDC keynote with our event hub and detailed coverage:

• WWDC 2024 live blog and news hub: iOS 18, ‘Apple Intelligence’ debut, more
• Apple unveils iOS 18 with new home screen customization, Control Center revamp, more
• Apple will support RCS with iOS 18, improving messaging experience between iPhone and Android
• There’s an emoji for that: meet Genmoji, Apple’s AI-powered emoji generation feature in iOS 18
• Apple integrates ChatGPT deeply into iOS 18

Top image via Apple

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