Apple has now released the first iOS 17 beta to developers, and in a first for the company, it is also giving non-developers the opportunity to download the beta on their iPhones for free. Keep reading to learn how it's done. In years past when Apple has announced a major new operating system update, the first wave of betas has officially only been available to download if you are a paying subscriber to Apple's Developer Program, which costs $99 a year. Public betas then become available to users enrolled in Apple's Public Beta Software Program after a delay of a few days or weeks after the developer beta has been released. However, this year you don't have to wait for…

Image: Apple If you’re hoping to see more Windows games on Mac then those dreams might finally come true soon. Apple has dropped some big news for game developers at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) this week, making it far easier and quicker to port Windows games to Mac thanks to a Proton-like environment that can translate and run the latest DirectX 12 Windows games on macOS. Apple has created a new Game Porting Toolkit that’s similar to the work Valve has done with Proton and the Steam Deck. Apple’s tool will instantly translate Windows games to run on macOS, allowing developers to launch an unmodified version of a Windows game on a Mac and see how well it…

Macworld Every June at WWDC, Apple announces and demonstrates the next version of iOS for your iPhone, but the final version doesn’t actually launch until the fall (usually around September). What if you don’t want to wait that long to try out the new features? You need to install the beta! During the months between June and September Apple works on the upcoming version (which in 2023 is iOS 17) with help from developers and public testers. If you want to try out the new operating system it’s easy to get onboard. In this article, we walk you through the steps required to get the latest iOS beta. We explain how to join Apple’s beta programs, and how to install…

Macworld Update: It turns out this was not a bug but an unannounced change in policy, where free developer accounts now have OS beta access. This story has been updated throughout to reflect the change. Starting with iOS 16.4, Apple changed the way beta distribution works. You previously needed to sign up on a specific device and then download and load a profile, but the ability of users to make illicit profile downloads possible meant that betas could be used by those who didn’t register for them. It was also clunky and annoying. The new method checks your Apple ID to see if you’re registered with Apple and makes every beta for which you are allowed access available in a…

Apple has quietly updated its developer program with a free tier that includes access to developer betas, but we still can't recommend installing beta software.Developers only need a free Apple ID to access betasAnyone interested in testing beta releases of Apple Software had two options — wait for public betas in July or pay $99 per year for early developer access. That changed with iOS 17 and the other 2023 releases, though Apple hasn't made any official announcement. Read more...

Apple has quietly updated its developer program with a free tier that includes access to developer betas, but we still can't recommend installing beta software.Developers only need a free Apple ID to access betasAnyone interested in testing beta releases of Apple Software had two options — wait for public betas in July or pay $99 per year for early developer access. That changed with iOS 17 and the other 2023 releases, though Apple hasn't made any official announcement. Read more...