How to install the iOS 18 public betas

People with Apple developer accounts have had all the fun with the iOS 18 betas so far, but now that the public betas are out, anyone can try the new features. Setting up the public beta is slightly less involved than setting up the developer beta but just as free. And if you’re looking for help with the iPadOS 18 beta, you’re in the right place: the setup process is the same.

You should understand what you’re getting when you try a beta, though. For one, you won’t get all of the new features at once; many of them will come down the road. Also, the fun of trying features early comes with the potential thrill of stability issues and excessive battery drain. And it’s rare these days, but Apple’s betas can break things or potentially brick your phone, so be sure to back it up before installing the beta.

The splashiest update coming to iOS 18 is the Apple Intelligence suite of AI features. These include AI photo editing and features that provide writing help. There’s also an on-device “semantic index” that carries out requests with the context of personal data, like knowing to scan your messages, emails, and calendars for details when you vaguely ask, “What time is dinner with Mom?”

Those features won’t be available in beta until this fall, though. Other new features include an overhaul of Photos along with a much more customizable Control Center and homescreen.

With the exception of Apple Intelligence features — which are only supported on the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max as well as iPads with M1 chips and up — iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 will work with these devices:

Getting set up to run the beta is a straightforward process. (And as mentioned at the top, all of these steps work for iPadOS 18, too.)