iPadOS 17 is official and it’s headed to iPads later this year, but what if you can’t wait that long to try the new features on offer? That customisable lock screen does look cool, after all.
There’s good news and there’s bad news. The good news is that there’s an iPadOS 17 beta available to download right now. The bad news? It’s only for developers creating or updating apps for the update ahead of release later this year. It essentially allows developers to ensure their apps run smoothly once the update drops.
There is a temptation for non-devs to download the beta, especially as you no longer need to pay to become a registered Apple developer, but it’s a bad idea. The first betas are usually quite buggy and not even developers install the update on devices they use for day-to-day life – and for good reason.
Like with iOS 17, there will be an iPadOS 17 Public Beta available sometime in July for keen Apple fans that should hopefully be a little more stable than the developer betas. For now, though, we’d recommend leaving the developer beta to the developers.
With that said, if you’re an Apple developer and want to get iPadOS 17 on your iPad right now, here’s how. If you’re wondering about Apple’s latest iPhone update, check out how to get iOS 17 right now.
What you’ll need:
- A supported iPad running iPadOS 16.4 or later
- An active Internet connection
- An Apple Developer account
The Short Version
- Register as an Apple developer.
- Make sure you’re signed in to your Apple ID on your iPad.
- Open the Settings app.
- Tap General.
- Tap Software Update.
- Tap Beta Updates.
- Tap iPadOS 17 Developer Beta.
- Install the iPadOS 17 beta.
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Step
1Register as an Apple developer
As the iPadOS 17 beta is only available for developers, the first step is to register as an Apple Developer if you haven’t already. This can be easily done via the Apple dev portal, and unlike in previous years, you don’t have to pay to become an Apple Developer.
If you’re already a registered Apple developer, you can skip this step.
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2Make sure you’re signed in to your Apple ID on your iPad
Once you’re a registered Apple developer, the next step is to verify that your dev-linked Apple ID is the one that’s signed in on your iPad. You can easily do this by opening the Settings app and tapping your name at the top of the page.
It’s also worth making sure that your iPad is running iPadOS 16.4 or later as Apple has recently streamlined the beta process, no longer requiring you to install beta profiles as with previous developer betas.
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3Open the Settings app
Once your Apple ID is linked and you’re running the latest version of iPadOS, it’s time to start the upgrade to iPadOS 17. The first step is to open the Settings app (the icon with the mechanical cog wheel).
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Step
4Tap General
From the Settings app, tap General from the menu options on the left.
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5Tap Software Update
From the General page, the next step is to tap Software Update.
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6Tap Beta Updates
If all has gone well until this point, you should see a new option beneath Automatic Updates dubbed Beta Updates. If you see it, tap it. If it’s not there, verify that your Apple ID is correctly linked with your iPad and that it’s running iPadOS 16.4 or later.
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7Tap iPadOS 17 Developer Beta
You should now see a list of beta software available to install – in our case, iPadOS 17 Developer Beta, iPadOS 16 Public Beta and iPadOS 16 Developer Beta. Make sure that iPadOS 17 Developer Beta is selected, and tap back in the top-left corner.
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8Install the iPadOS 17 beta
Now back on the main Software Update menu, you should see an option to download and install the new iPadOS 17 Developer Beta. Simply tap Download and Install to start the process, which can take anywhere from 5 – 20 minutes depending on your internet speeds and the processing power of your iPad.
Troubleshooting
Verify that you’re logged in with the Apple ID associated with the Apple Developer account you registered in step 1, and that you’re running iPadOS 16.4 or later on your iPad. As a last resort, try restarting your iPad to force the update to appear.
