Apple just released a public preview of its big iPhone update, iOS 17, which includes several big changes, including better autocorrect, a landscape docking mode and offline apps. It gives a taste of what we can expect when Apple launches the final version this fall when it launches new iPhones.
In previous years, installing a public beta involved enrolling your email address on Apple's website and a tricky process that involved installing a certificate.
This year, the process has been greatly simplified. Here's what to do:
- Make sure your phone can install iOS 17, which it probably can if you bought it after 2018 or have an iPhone XS or newer. Here's a list.
- Make sure you've updated to the latest public version of iOS, newer than 16.4.
- Then, go to Settings > General > Software Update. The option to select the iOS 17 public beta will be in a dropdown menu.
Apple's iOS public beta has most of the features that will be included in the final release version but isn't ready for everyone yet. Apple allows nonsoftware developers to install the public beta to gather information on bugs so they can get squashed before the iOS is officially released in the fall.
It's fun for users who want to experience the future a few months early. But keep in mind that this software could be full of bugs and can be unstable. Apple encourages anyone who wants to install it to make sure the data on the device is backed up.