Apple is rolling out the public beta of iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 on Thursday. We have a full (and lengthy) preview guide on both operating systems here, and now we’re breaking down how to get the public beta on your iPhone or iPad.
These versions of iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 are betas and don’t represent final software. As in years past, these represent more stable versions of the software, but you can still expect some bugs.
If you choose to install the beta on your main device, we highly recommend that you first back up your iPhone or iPad to iCloud or a physical device. You can also opt to install it on a secondary device, or buy an iPhone SE (starting at $399) or 7th Gen iPad (starting at $329) to play around with the betas.
To get the public beta of iOS 14 or iPadOS 14, you’ll first need to enroll on the Apple Beta Software Program site here. It’s free to sign up and won’t void your hardware warranty.
We recommend visiting this site from the device you want to enroll and signing in with your Apple ID. The site will prompt you to install a profile onto your iPhone or iPad that allows your device to receive the public beta software updates.
From there, it may prompt you to restart your device. And then you can head to Settings > General > Software Update and search for an update. It can take a few minutes to find it, but once it appears, you can download it and install.
These devices will support iOS 14:
These devices will support iPadOS 14:
To back up your iPhone or iPad to iCloud, you’ll open Settings and click your name at the top. Then click iCloud > iCloud Backup > Back Up Now. To do it using a Mac laptop or desktop, you’ll plug your iPhone or iPad in and select the Back Up option when it appears in Finder. We highly recommend completing a backup before installing either the iOS 14 or iPadOS 14 public beta.
And then you’ll be set and ready to start exploring iOS 14 and iPadOS 14.
Note: The prices above reflect the retailer’s listed price at the time of publication.
