How to Download the iOS 16 Developer Beta (June 2022)

Apple has officially announced iOS 16, the new generation of the iPhone operating system. The latest iOS version promises some great and exciting new features, including a fully customizable Lock Screen complete with widgets, shared iCloud Photo Libraries for families, Live Text in videos and more. Although the final iOS 16 release will not arrive before July, Apple has already released the first beta for developers to play with and prepare their apps, and a public beta will not be far behind. If you are dying to try the newest iOS 16 features, here is how to sign up for the beta programs and how to download the newest pre-release software.

How Do You Download the iOS 16 Developer Beta?

The first iOS 16 beta is only open to members of the Apple Developer Program. Typically, early betas of major iOS releases are not open to everyone, and iOS 16 is no exception, and this will probably continue for the next few betas. Apple usually releases a public beta in late June or early July, typically alongside the second or third developer beta. At that point, anyone who wants to get their hands on it can sign up for Apple's free Beta Software Program. Waiting for the public beta is generally a good idea, because that is the point at which Apple feels it is stable enough for non-developers to play with. However, if you want to get the first iOS 16 release and are willing to live with the risks, you can sign up for Apple's Developer Program.

Back Up Your iPhone

Before installing an iOS beta, it is always a good idea to make a current backup of your iPhone. Remember, this is beta software, so things are much more likely to go wrong. Also, Apple's warranty does not cover an iPhone running an iOS beta. If you run into problems with your iPhone, you will need to restore the iPhone to the latest public iOS release before bringing or sending it in for repair. That will require you to restore your iPhone to its new state, so you will want to be sure you have a backup in that situation. We strongly recommend making an additional backup to your Mac or PC, because you may need to go back to the iOS 15 public release. You cannot restore a backup made from a newer iOS version to an iPhone running an older version, and iOS automatically backs up your iPhone to iCloud every 24 hours. Only the three most recent iCloud Backups are kept, so it will not take long for your iOS 15 backup to be rotated out. Backing up to your computer will ensure you have a backup to fall back on in case you need to restore to iOS 15.

How Do You Sign Up for an Apple Developer Account?

If you really want the iOS 16 beta right away, you need to pay $99 to enroll in the Apple Developer Program. You can do this as an individual or as an organization; however, individual enrollment is faster and simpler because you do not have to provide many documents - your legal name and address should be enough. Note that this will not give you instant access to the iOS 16 beta; you will first have to wait for Apple to approve your application, which can take a few days.

• Visit the Apple Beta website using a web browser.
• Select Start Your Enrollment.
• Accept the Apple Developer agreement by selecting the checkbox and then selecting the Submit button.
• Select Continue to continue enrolling on the web. Alternatively, you can follow the instructions to download the Apple Developer app and complete the enrollment process directly from your iPhone or iPad.
• Fill in your personal information on the next screen and select Continue.
• Select Individual/Sole Proprietor as your entity type.
• Review the Apple Developer Program license agreement by selecting the Checkbox and then selecting the Continue button.
• If you want your developer subscription to renew automatically every year, select the Checkbox in the Auto-renewal section.
• Select the Purchase button to proceed to the payment screen.
• Enter your payment details and complete your purchase.

How Do You Sign Up for Apple's Public Beta Program?

The iOS 16 public beta is not available yet, but you can get ready for it by signing up for the Apple Beta Software Program. For now, this will give you access to betas of the latest iOS 15 point releases, but when the iOS 16 public beta arrives, you will be ready to go.

• Visit the Apple beta website in a web browser.
• Select the blue Sign Up button.
• On the next screen, enter your Apple ID and select the right-facing Arrow icon.
• When the password field appears, enter your Apple ID's password and select the right-facing Arrow icon.
• If prompted, enter the six-digit two-factor authentication code sent to your iPhone, and select Trust if you want to skip the verification code prompt the next time you sign in, or if you are using a shared or public browser.
• Read the Apple Beta Software Program Agreement and select Accept to confirm that you agree.

Your Apple ID is now enrolled in the Apple Beta Software Program. You will not be able to download the iOS 16 public beta yet, but when it is released, you can come back here and sign in with your Apple ID to get the required configuration profile.

Install the iOS 16 Beta Configuration Profile

Once your Apple Developer account is approved, or later when the public beta is released, you can install the iOS 16 beta wirelessly by downloading the appropriate configuration profile. This tells your iPhone that it is authorized to get the beta and where to download it from. The steps for getting the profile differ slightly depending on whether you are a developer or a public beta tester, but once you have installed the profile, the process of updating to the iOS 16 beta is the same either way. If you joined a beta program for iOS 15 or earlier, you still need to download a new configuration profile for iOS 16. Each major iOS release uses a unique configuration profile, so if you only see an iOS 15.6 or iOS 15.7 beta showing up, it is because you are still using an iOS 15 beta profile.

• On your iPhone, use Safari to go to the appropriate website:

If you are a member of the Apple Developer Program, visit the Apple developer beta site and sign in with your Apple ID.

If you are a public beta tester, you will visit the Apple beta site (when available) and sign in there with your Apple ID.

• Download and install the configuration profile:

If you are an Apple Developer, select the Install Profile button in the iOS 16 beta section.

If you are a public beta tester, make sure the iOS tab is selected in the horizontal menu bar, then scroll down and enroll your iOS device under Get Started, and then select Download profile on the next page.

• Select Allow to confirm that you want to download the configuration profile, and then select Close to confirm that the profile has been downloaded.
• Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
• Select Profile Downloaded near the top of the screen.
• Select Install in the upper right corner to install the profile.
• Enter your iPhone passcode when prompted.
• Select Install in the upper right corner to accept the Apple beta agreement.
• Select Install from the menu that appears at the bottom of the screen.
• When prompted, select Restart to restart your iPhone.

Your iPhone is now ready to download the latest iOS 16 beta wirelessly. Before you do, however, you should make a backup in case something goes wrong.

How Do You Install the iOS 16 Beta?

After you have installed the iOS 16 configuration profile from the Apple Developer Program or the Apple Beta Software Program (when available) and backed up your iPhone, you are ready to download and install the iOS 16 beta. Updating to the iOS 16 beta works the same way as other iOS software updates. The configuration profile you installed earlier tells your iPhone to get the beta software instead of looking for the latest public iOS release.

• Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
• Select General.
• Select Software Update. After a few seconds, iOS 16 Beta should appear.
• Select Download and Install to begin the process.

Downloading, preparing and then installing the iOS 16 beta on your iPhone can take anywhere from a few minutes to an hour or more. When the process is finished, your iPhone will restart and take you through a series of welcome and setup screens similar to what you would see when updating to a public release.

After you install the iOS 16 beta on your iPhone, you will continue to receive future iOS 16 beta updates as they become available. There is nothing you need to do except repeat these steps above to check for the latest beta software update and install it when it becomes available.

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