iOS 17 Developer Beta accidentally made available to all

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 drop-down menu. Apparently, something got messed up on the back end yesterday, because this system just broke and now anyone with iOS 16.5 or later can download the iOS 17 Developer Beta. You’re supposed to need to be a registered developer for that. It’s not clear whether it only affects IDs that had previously signed up for a public beta, but we’re seeing the iOS 17 Developer Beta for IDs that aren’t associated with a developer account and iOS 16 betas on phones that haven’t previously received them. So something’s needed up.

To download any iOS beta, open Settings, then tap General, then Software Update. Tap on the Beta Updates section and you’ll see a list of the beta releases your Apple ID is registered for–that may be one or more public betas or, if you’re a registered developer, a developer beta.

The mistake that was made was that anyone with iOS 16.5 or later will apparently see the iOS 17 Developer Beta there! We can confirm that at least one of our staff who is registered for public betas but not a registered developer was able to see and successfully download the iOS 17 Developer Beta this way. There are also reports that claim the watchOS 10 beta is accessible in the iPhone’s Watch app the same way.

Foundry

Don’t install the iOS 17 Developer Beta

If you’re not a developer and you find this on your iPhone, we suggest you do not install it.

For starters, this stage of the beta is pretty well broken. It’s full of bugs and lots of things don’t work right. There’s a reason the public beta comes weeks after the initial developer beta–you can expect degraded performance, bugs, crashes, missing features, and more.

We also expect Apple to correct this error very quickly. It might even be fixed by the time you read this. When this error is corrected, we don’t yet know what will happen to those who are not registered developers but downloaded the iOS 17 Developer Beta anyway. Will there be some sort of forced downgrade back to iOS 16? Can that even happen? Will some core features just stop working right? Will your Apple ID be locked out of important services? At the very least, you’re likely to be stuck on this very first buggy developer release until the Public Beta lands in July, while actual registered developers get several more Developer Beta releases.

We’re in uncharted territory here, and while it’s really exciting to get a glimpse at something new earlier than you are supposed to, it’s definitely taking a big risk. We suggest that those who weren’t supposed to access the Developer Beta wait just for the Public Beta.