At this year’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), Apple revealed iOS 18. The upcoming iPhone operating system includes AI-powered Siri, a customizable home screen, an app lock feature, a personalized control center, and additional capabilities for messaging and phone apps.
The general release of iOS 18 is scheduled for later this year, but in the meanwhile, developers registered in the Apple Developer program can download the developer version of the operating system now. You may test out the new features of iOS 18 right now if you feel comfortable using your iPhone in developer beta.
With the introduction of the iOS 17 developer beta last year, Apple introduced a free tier of the program that allows consumers to download all developer betas. Previously, users had to pay $100 annually to join the Apple Developer program. The sole prerequisite is that you need to have an Apple ID.
iOS 18: What is New
- Home Screen: New app icons in dark mode and repositionable apps and widgets are supported. Customizable colors are also supported.
- Control Center: displays linked home devices and easy control customization. It is a new set of controls that can be accessed with a swipe-up motion. In addition, controls are available from the lock screen and may be accessed via the Action Button.
- App Lock: Separate app locking wherein concealed applications are kept inside a safe folder.
- Messages: Supports RCS messaging, emoji and sticker tapbacks, scheduled messages, integrated text effects, text formatting, and satellite messaging for iPhone 14 and later models.
- Mail: Emails can be categorized on-device into primary, transactional, updates, and promotions (coming later this year).
- Game mode: The iPhone will soon support Mac’s game mode.
- Photos: A thorough makeover makes it easier to organize and retrieve memories, and it has intelligence built in for making collections.
- Phone: Apple Intelligence-powered call recording, transcription, and summarization feature in Notes. T9 find contacts.
Considerations before to downloading
Developers utilize developer betas to report bugs and test their programs on the future operating system. Developer beta should be downloaded cautiously since, although the bugs are fixed after testing, you may still experience unexpected phone crashes or be unable to use certain apps. Additionally, you have the option to register for a more stable public beta of iOS 18, which is scheduled for release in July or later this month.
Only the iPhone XS and later models will be able to run iOS 18. If you wish to download the iOS 18 developer beta over-the-air, your phone needs to be updated to at least iOS 16.4. As of right now, iOS 17.5.1 is the most recent version.
You will also require a backup in case you ever wish to return to iOS 17. Go to Settings, choose your name, and then choose iCloud to backup your phone. Next, choose iCloud Backup, then press Back Up Now.
iOS 18 developer beta: How to download and install
- Navigate to Settings -> General -> Software Update on your iPhone.
- Select iOS 18 Developer Beta by tapping the Beta Updates tab.
- Return to the Software Update page and watch for the download to happen.
- Agree to Apple terms and initiate download process
- After the download process is complete, installation will start.
iPhone models that are eligible for the iOS 18 developer beta
- iPhone 15
- iPhone 15 Plus
- iPhone 15 Pro
- iPhone 15 Pro Max
- iPhone 14
- iPhone 14 Plus
- iPhone 14 Pro
- iPhone 14 Pro Max
- iPhone 13
- iPhone 13 mini
- iPhone 13 Pro
- iPhone 13 Pro Max
- iPhone 12
- iPhone 12 mini
- iPhone 12 Pro
- iPhone 12 Pro Max
- iPhone 11
- iPhone 11 Pro
- iPhone 11 Pro Max
- iPhone XS
- iPhone XS Max
- iPhone XR
- iPhone SE (2nd generation or later)