You may download the iOS 18 beta right now on your iPhone. Here's how.

 iOS 18 won't be available to the general public until later this year, but you can get your hands on an early version today.

With iOS 18, you'll be able to use an AI-powered Siri, customize your control center and home screen, and explore the revamped Photos app. If you don't want to wait until later this year to try out all of the new features, you can download iOS 18 right away.

As long as you're okay with using a developer beta on your iPhone.

Apple launched iOS 18 today at its annual developer seminar, the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). The most recent iOS version includes new features such as a redesigned home screen, customized control center, locked and hidden apps, text messaging via satellite, and a massive makeover of the Photos app.

While the general public release of iOS 18 is scheduled for later this year, Apple has just released the first iOS 18 developer beta, which you can download right now if you're a member of the Apple Developer program.

The Apple Developer program has historically required a cost to join, at $100 per year, but last year, with the introduction of the iOS 17 developer beta, Apple introduced a free tier of the Apple Developer program, allowing users to download any developer betas for free as long as you have an Apple ID.

Why you might now want to download the iOS 18 developer beta

Just because you may download the iOS 18 developer beta for free does not mean you have to or should.

Early developer betas, like this one, are meant to allow developers to test their apps on future versions of iOS. It also allows developers to find and report flaws, which helps Apple improve the program before it is distributed to the general public. And that's one of the main reasons you might not want to download the iOS 18 developer beta for your phone: problems.

Your phone may become unstable due to a software issue or other glitches. You may not be able to use some of your favorite apps, and even if you can, you may experience app crashes.

With that stated, I've been downloading developer betas on my personal iPhone for the past decade and haven't had any serious concerns. It's generally annoying when an app quits or my battery runs out soon, but I've always managed.


If you have a backup iPhone, you should definitely utilize it for the iOS 18 developer beta because you will not require it on a daily basis, thus any bugs or other difficulties will not be as noticeable. However, if you do not have one, running the iOS 18 developer beta on your primary device should suffice. Hopefully.

And if you still want iOS 18 but don't want to cope with the developer beta, there's still the more stable public beta of iOS 18, which should release  later this month. You can sign up here for that.

What to know before you download the iOS 18 developer beta

Before you start in downloading the iOS 18 developer beta, there are a few things you should know, listed here:

You need a supported phone. iOS 18 will run on the iPhone XS and later.

1. Update your phone. It's best to update to the latest general release before updating to a developer beta. The latest iOS version is currently 17.5.1. You'll at least need to be running iOS 16.4 if you want to download the iOS 18 developer beta as an over-the-air update.

Also, back up your phone. You need a backup if you ever want to go back to iOS 17. To back up your phone, go to Settings > your name > iCloud > iCloud Backup > Back Up Now. You can also back it up to your computer.         

How to enroll in the Apple Developer program, for free

As I mentioned, there's now a free tier of the Apple Developer program, which allows you to download any developer beta without paying. Using the Apple ID that's connected to the device you want to update to iOS 18, do the following:

1. Go to the Apple Developer website, hit the three-dash menu in the top-left and then tap Account in the menu that appears.

2. Sign in with your Apple ID.

3. Finally, read through the Apple Developer Agreement, check all the boxes and hit Submit.

You won't get full access to the development tools that the paid Apple Developer program membership offers, but you'll have access to the iOS 18 developer beta. If you're a developer, you should consider signing up for the paid version.

      

Install the iOS 18 developer beta over-the-air on your iPhone

You can download the iOS 18 developer beta manually, but the easiest way to do it with an over-the-air update – just like you would download and install your regular iOS update. After you sign up for the Apple Developer program, you should see the option to download the iOS 18 developer beta in your settings.

To download the iOS 18 developer beta over-the-air, here's what you need to do:

1. On your iPhone, go to the Settings > General > Software Update.

2. Next, go into Beta Updates and tap the iOS 18 Developer Beta option.

3. Finally, go back and tap Download and Install under the new "iOS 18 Developer Beta" option that appears.

    Enter your passcode, agree to the terms and conditions and then just wait for the update to install on your iPhone. Depending on your internet connection, the entire process should take about 10 or 15 minutes.

Once your phone reboots, you should be running the iOS 18 developer beta.