While the latest official version of iOS 16 that is available is iOS 16.4.1, which came with several security improvements, version 16.5 is also available in beta form. A beta that we can easily access whether we are developers or not to download, install and test the latest features of the iPhone operating system.
To install beta versions of Apple operating systems, we need a configuration profile. A small file that we install on our iPhone, iPad or Mac so that it is able to search, find and install the versions under development instead of just the final versions. Something that will soon change, but, without getting ahead of ourselves, let’s start at the beginning.
How to download iOS 16.5 beta
There are two categories of beta cycles for Apple devices: developer betas and public betas. These are distinguished according to the target audience and also by the release dates. Public betas are accessible to anyone interested, you only need to register on the Apple website to download the profile and test the latest versions.
In contrast, developer betas are intended, as the name suggests, for developers. These are people with experience and specific devices to test and improve their applications before the new operating systems are released. This main difference makes new beta versions reach developers first rather than the public program.
The reason is simple: developers are expected to have more resources and skill to deal with any issues that may arise in the operating systems. A developer device is not the iPhone we use every day, but a specific one that, in case of any failure, can be easily restored. Moreover, it is not used intensively, but for testing specific developments.
At this point, with WWDC 2023 looming and iOS 17 getting closer and closer, the gap between the public beta and the developer beta for iOS 16.5 is about a day. So, whether we are developers or not, we will be able to test the new features very easily.
So how do we download and install the iOS 16.5 beta? The easiest way is to sign up for Apple’s public beta program. From there, we will have access to the latest versions in development and we will be able to test its innovations. Meanwhile, if we are developers, we will find the appropriate profiles at developer.apple.com, in the download section, which will give us immediate access to the new versions as soon as they are released. In any case, the steps to follow are as follows:
- Download the configuration profile from the public betas page or from Apple’s developer site.
- If we are asked where to install it, we choose iPhone or iPad depending on where we are performing the process.
- The system notifies us of a downloaded Profile, we tap Close.
- We open the Settings app on our iPhone or iPad.
- At the top, under our name, tap on Downloaded Profile.
- Tap Install.
- We enter the password of our iPhone or iPad.
- Tap Next.
- Tap OK and, if prompted, restart the iPhone or iPad.
How to download iOS 17 beta
iOS 17 will be announced next June, during Apple’s developer conference. At WWDC 2023, this new operating system will be presented and, among its new features, it will include a new distribution system for betas. Starting with iOS 17, configuration profiles will no longer be used.
Access to the developer beta of iOS 17 and iPadOS 17, whose design could be surprising, will be exclusive to those devices logged in with an Apple ID linked to the developer program. No profiles of any kind will be required or used. Apple hopes that, with this new distribution method, the initial bugs typical of a new beta will not affect those who should not.
Therefore, although as developers we will have access to the betas from minute one, without being developers, even if we have to wait a little longer, we will also be able to test the operating systems before their launch. All we have to do is register in the public betas program, install the profile and enter the Settings app to download the updates.
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