iOS 18 is expected to arrive on iPhone models this fall, but it looks like it’s going to be a pretty long wait to experience all the new features that Apple recently announced at WWDC 2024. While it’s easy to get a free developer account and install the first beta on your iPhone, it’s probably better to wait until the iOS 18 public beta is released. The public beta will definitely be stable and can be installed by anyone with an Apple beta account, but given that it’s still pre-release software, make sure you keep your eyes peeled and install it on your test iPhone.
This is a great way to try out the new features in iOS 18, like customizable home and lock screens, text message formatting, texting via satellite, and a redesigned Photos app (though Apple Intelligence features won’t arrive until later this year). If you’ve already installed the iOS 18 beta and are confused, don’t worry: you can revert to iOS 17.
If you want to download and install the iOS 18 public beta, here’s when Apple plans to make it available.
When will Apple release the first iOS 18 public beta for iPhones?
If you’re itching to install an updated public beta of iOS 18, Apple’s beta page frustratingly states that betas of iOS 18 and other operating systems are “coming soon.” Apple says in a press release that “the public beta will be available next month through the Apple Beta Software Program at beta.apple.com,” which isn’t very helpful. But Apple has offered public betas every year since iOS 8.3 in 2015, and those betas have consistently appeared about three to four weeks after the first developer beta.
This means that the iOS 18 public beta will be available as soon as July 8, 2024.
The previous public releases were first released as follows:
- iOS 17 Public Beta: July 12, 2023
- iOS 16 Public Beta: July 11, 2022
- iOS 15 Public Beta: June 30, 2021
- iOS 14 Public Beta: July 9, 2020
What about Apple’s other public betas?
While iOS tends to get the most attention, Apple also releases public betas of its other operating systems around the same time: iPad OS 18, WatchOS 11, TVOS 18, and even HomePod Software 18 are expected to arrive around the same day as iOS 18.
MacOS public betas, on the other hand, sometimes release on a different schedule, although the two most recent releases, Sonoma and Ventura, have been released in lockstep with iOS.
- MacOS Sonoma Public Beta: July 11, 2023
- macOS Ventura Public Beta: July 12, 2022
- macOS Monterey Public Beta: July 7, 2021
- macOS Big Sur Public Beta: August 10, 2020
The macOS Sequoia public beta will also be released soon. July 8, 2024or maybe the following week.
Where is Vision OS?
Notably absent from the Apple beta page is Vision OS 2 for the Vision Pro. Apple didn’t release a public beta of Vision OS last year, so it’s not yet clear whether one will be released this year before Vision OS 2 is released.
To learn more about Apple’s efforts, we compare Apple’s Find My Network to Google’s Find My Device and discuss what we think is iOS 18’s most underrated feature.
