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How to get the iOS 14 beta if you aren’t a developer

You could try out iOS 14 right now, even if you are not a registered Apple developer, but be aware of the risks
By Kris Wallburg
Macworld JUN 25, 2020 12:26 pm PDT

You could try out iOS 14 right now, even if you aren’t registered as a developer with Apple, but be aware of the risks.

If you are a member of Apple’s developer program you have probably already downloaded the beta of iOS 14, but what if you aren’t a developer and want to get your hands on the beta of the new iPhone operating system? You could wait until the public beta arrives in July, or you could take your chances and download the iOS 14 beta from a third-party site – but beware that doing so is a risky business. We strongly recommend that you wait until the Public Beta arrives.

Various websites are offering the iPhone profile required to install the developer beta as a free download. For example, Betaprofiles.com offers the profiles required to download the iOS beta. You will also find the macOS, iPadOS and WatchOS profiles for the latest betas there.

If you need some clear reasons not to download the betas this way, here are a few:

  • Apple does not support or control these sites and could decide to take legal action against these sites and their users.
  • We cannot provide any guarantee that the content found on these sites is harmless. Downloading is very much at your own risk.

We recommend that you become an official Public Beta tester. Find out how to become an Apple Beta Tester here.

However, if you are willing to go ahead with your potentially dangerous mission, here’s what you need to do to install the beta is you aren’t a developer:

[We have a more in-depth guide to how to install the iOS beta here]

  1. Open the website on your iPhone and find the link to download the iOS 14 beta profile (on betaprofiles.com you’ll find the link here).
  2. Download the profile and confirm on your iPhone that you want to download the configuration file.
  3. A menu will open automatically. Enter your password and pin and confirm Apple’s terms of use.
  4. When the installation of the profile is complete, you have to restart your iPhone.
  5. Now open Settings of your iPhone.
  6. Go to General > Software Update and you will be able to download and install the beta like any normal update.

Please note: Beta software is not yet final and may contain errors that lead to crashes or data loss. In addition, apps may stop working because they are not designed for the new OS. Therefore, you should always back up your data before installing any beta software.

Also look out for updates that Apple regularly rolls out during the beta phase.

This article originally appeared on Macwelt. Translation by Karen Haslam