How to download the iOS and iPadOS 15 developer betas

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iPadOS 15 beta
... if you have a spare iPhone or iPad.
Photo: Apple

Itching to get your hands on iOS and iPadOS 15 as soon as possible? The first developer betas are out now, and although we definitely don’t recommend installing them just yet, we’ll still tell you how to do it.

All you need is an Apple Developer account and an iPhone or iPad.

Apple says its developer betas are strictly for use on development devices, and there’s good reason for that. Early releases in particular are notoriously buggy and unstable, and won’t play nicely with many apps.

So, it’s a really bad idea to go ahead and install an iOS or iPadOS 15 on the iPhone or iPad you rely on every day. But if you have a spare lying around and you’re keen to check out the improvements, here’s how.

Install the iOS and iPadOS 15 developer betas now

Firstly, you need an Apple Developer account, priced at $99 a year, to access the iOS and iPadOS 15 beta software right now. No public betas are available yet, but they should be coming in the next few weeks.

Once you have an Apple Developer account, follow these steps:

  1. Visit developer.apple.com in Safari on your iPhone or iPad.
  2. At the top of the page, tap Develop. If you’re on iPhone, you’ll first need to tap the three lines in the top-left corner.
  3. Tap Downloads then sign into your Developer account.
  4. Find the beta you want to install (iOS 15 for iPhone or iPadOS 15 for iPad), then tap the Install Profile button.
  5. Confirm you want to install the beta profile by tapping Allow.
  6. Open the Settings app on your device.
  7. Tap General, then tap Profiles.
  8. Tap the iOS or iPadOS 15 Beta Software Profile.
  9. Tap Install then enter your passcode.
  10. Restart your device when prompted.
  11. After your device has restarted, open Settings, tap General, then tap Software Update. The developer beta should now be available to download and install.
How to download iOS 15 developer beta
Download the beta profile, then install it via Settings.
Screenshots: Cult of Mac

It seems like a lengthy and longwinded process, but it’s actually pretty simple. The only thing that really takes time is downloading the beta, which can be slow — especially right now — due to demand.

You will only need to complete this process once. After the beta profile has been installed on your device, future releases will be available inside the Software Update menu.

Wait for public betas?

If you don’t have a spare iPhone or iPad, or an Apple Developer account, we recommend waiting for the public iOS and iPadOS 15 betas. They’ll be available in the coming weeks and they’ll be much more stable.

If you’re not in a rush to try out Apple’s latest updates, you might want to just wait until they make their official public debuts this fall. They should be (mostly) free from bugs then and ready to be used on daily drivers.

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