How to Install iOS 12 Beta on Your iPhone or iPad

Jun. 5, 2018



Post the keynote, Apple also dropped the iOS 12 beta primarily for developers, but also for those who live on the bleeding edge, at least in terms of software. If beta OS does not scare you, here are the steps you need to follow to get iOS 12 up and running on your iPhone or iPad.

Do note that all beta software has some bugs which may interfere with regular usage, so do keep that in mind before proceeding.

Devices Compatible with iOS 12

Devices Compatible with iOS 12

Here’s the list of all the iOS devices that are compatible with the latest version of iOS:

Before we dive into the installation process for the first iOS 12 developer beta, you need the following things handy:

Note: Also, don’t forget to backup your iOS device so that you can restore all your data if things so south. You can do this either using iTunes or by going to iOS Settings -> iCloud -> Back Up Now. We installed the beta on our iPhone X and iPhone 8 Plus.

I assume that you have already signed for an Apple Developer account, so the first thing that you now need to do is register your device(s) for the latest iOS 12 beta. Here are the steps you need to follow:

  1. First, you need theUDID (Unique Device Identifier)of your iPhone/ iPad to register your device. You can get it by connecting your iOS device to yourPC or Mac via iTunes. In iTunes, click on your iOS device’sserial numberand you should see the UDID of your device. Justcopyit (or jot it down somewhere).

  2. Then, head to theApple’s Developers websiteand login with your Apple ID (Developer Account). Once logged in, go to“Certificates, IDs, and Profiles”and then, go to the“Devices”section. Here, you need toselect the iOS deviceyou want to install the iOS 12 beta on.

3. After you’ve selected your device, you need to click on the“plus icon”and enter the details of your iOS device: the name of your device and the UDID you’d copied. Click on “Continue” button when you’re done and voila, you’re registered to download the iOS 12 beta on your device.

  1. Now, you’ll need to head to thedownload page on Apple’s Developer websiteand scroll down to find the iOS 12 beta section. Then,tap the ‘Download’ button next to it to download the configuration file(.mobileconfig format).

  2. Once it is downloaded,open it on your iOS device and install the beta software. You’ll then need to restart the device to install the update and get it up and running.

If you cannot get the OTA/config download to work for you, you can manually flash the iOS 12 beta on your iPhone or iPad. Here are the steps you need to follow:

1. You’ll again need to navigate to theDownload pageon the Apple Developer website to get the iOS 12 restore images. TheiOS 12 IPSW file for iPhone X is around 2.61 GB, and the file size for other iOS devices would in the same ballpark, so make sure you are connected to a Wi-Fi network.

  1. And now to install the iOS 12 IPSW file, you need iTunes. Connect your iPhone/ iPad to your PC or Mac and hold Option on a Mac and Shift on the Windows PC, followed by a click on “Check for Update” option in iTunes.

  2. You’ll then see a dialog box, where you can select the downloaded iOS 12 beta IPSW file and it will be flashed on your iOS device.

Get The Taste Of iOS 12 Developer Beta On Your iPhone or iPad

As we had all expected, the iOS 12 announcement didn’t turn out to be too exciting and was full of optimizations. However, I’m happy that Apple has finally fixed its notification problem, improved ARKit, and made progress towards bringing Siri to the modern age. And if you give this latest iteration of iOS a try, do tell us what you think about it in the comments down below.

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