How to Install the iOS 14 Beta on Your iPhone
A Warning About Beta Software
By its very nature, beta software is unfinished. That means it will most likely be less reliable, with more software bugs than what you’re used to. Beta software can even cause data loss or battery drain on your iPhone.
If you need your iPhone to work perfectly whether for work or family you shouldn’t install beta software on it. Find a spare iPhone to use with the iOS 14 public beta instead.
That said, we’ll show you how to uninstall iOS 14 public beta as well, in case you change your mind after installing it.
Public and Developer Beta Software
There are two versions of iOS 14 beta available: public and developer. Apple typically releases the developer beta a couple of weeks before the public beta, allowing developers to tweak their apps in preparation for a public release.
Apple’s developer beta is only available to members of the iOS Developer Program. This costs $99/year and comes with access to analytics and testing tools, along with the ability to release apps on the App Store.
If you don’t want to pay for the iOS Developer Program, Apple usually releases the public beta only a couple of weeks later. These releases come through the Apple Beta Software Program, which lets anyone install beta software on their devices.
How to Install the iOS 14 Public Beta on Your iPhone
There are only three steps you need to follow to install the iOS 14 public beta on your iPhone. The entire process takes a couple of hours, depending on how much data is on your iPhone and how fast your internet connection is.
Make sure your iPhone is fully charged and you have plenty of time before getting started.
Step 1. Archive a Backup of Your iPhone
Every time you back up your iPhone, it erases your existing backup to create the new one. Any backups you make using the iOS 14 public beta might not work if you revert to iOS 13 again. To protect your data, you should archive an iOS 13 backup now, so you can still use it if you uninstall the iOS 14 public beta in the future.
When you archive a backup, it means your iPhone won’t delete it during future backups. If you don’t create an archived backup using iOS 13, you may lose all the data from your iPhone if the iOS 14 public beta doesn’t work properly.
Use a computer running macOS Catalina or later, or iTunes, to create an archived backup:
Open Finder or iTunes on your computer and select your iPhone from the sidebar. If prompted, unlock your iPhone and agree to Trust this computer.
Go to the General tab in Finder or the Summary tab in iTunes and choose to Back up all the data on your iPhone. If you want to save passwords and sensitive data as well, enable the Encrypt backup option and create a memorable password.
Click Back Up Now and wait for the backup to complete.
When the backup finishes, click Manage Backups, then Control-click or right-click the backup you just made and select Archive. A padlock should appear next to your backup to show that it’s archived.
Step 2. Enroll Your iPhone in the Apple Beta Software Program
To install the iOS 14 public beta you need to enroll your iPhone in the Apple Beta Software Program. You do this by installing an iOS 14 Beta Software profile on your iPhone, which lets you download the iOS 14 public beta as a software update.
First, you need to sign up for the Apple Beta Software Program using your Apple ID. This is completely free, unlike the iOS Developer Program, which grants even earlier access to beta software.
To sign up and enroll your iPhone in the Apple Beta Software Program:
Visit beta.apple.com and Sign up for the Apple Beta Software Program using your Apple ID. Accept the terms and conditions to complete the signup process.
Now open Safari on your iPhone and go to beta.apple.com/profile. Tap Download profile and Allow Safari to download a configuration profile.
When the download finishes, open Settings, and tap Profile Downloaded to Install the profile. Alternatively, go to Settings > General > Profile to view all your downloaded profiles and install it from there.
Follow the prompts to enter your passcode and restart your iPhone to finish installing the iOS 14 beta profile.
Step 3. Check for Software Updates to install the iOS 14 Beta
All you need to do now is check for new software updates on your iPhone. With the iOS 14 Beta Software profile installed, your iPhone should download the iOS 14 public beta as a software update.
Depending on your internet connection, it could take a couple of hours for your iPhone to download and install the update.
Make sure your iPhone is connected to Wi-Fi with plenty of battery (or keep it plugged in), then:
- Go to Settings > General > Software Update.
- Wait for your iPhone to check for new updates.
- Tap Download and Install to install the iOS 14 public beta on your iPhone.
