You can now download iOS 12… but should you?

In case you missed it, earlier this week Apple announced the latest updates and features to its software at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC 2018) in California. 

There will be plenty of new features in the upcoming software update. Everything from improvements in performance and grouped notifications to new animojis and group face time. Apple is also re-building many of its built-in apps such as iBooks and Stocks, which will also help with those performance enhancements.

However, you won’t see the official release of these features until the Autumn, when Apple will make iOS 12, macOS Mojave, watchOS 5 and tvOS 12 available to download via your devices.

If you can’t wait that long, there are a number of ways to get your hands on the latest software updates early.

How to get iOS 12 early

• Option 1 – wait until the public beta release of iOS 12, which should come at the end of the June. It will still be buggy, but it will be slightly more functional than the current developer beta release.
• Option 2 – you can download the developer beta version of iOS 12 now, but be warned, it’s far from complete.

If you really can’t wait for the autumn and can’t wait for the public beta, you can still download iOS 12, even if you’re not an app developer.

Third-party websites have already shared the beta profile, which enables you to download iOS 12 unofficially.

The one that we used and found to be working is here (use at your own risk).

How it works

You download a settings profile, which tells Apple’s servers that your device is being used for development purposes.

Before you install the settings profile, make sure it displays a green tick, which basically tells you that it is indeed officially from Apple, although you have downloaded it unofficially. It’s as good as you’re going to get until the official release comes out.

This will then enable your device to download iOS 12 on your iPhone, just as you would normally download a software update. Settings > Software update.

You’ll need to download the settings profile first, restart your smartphone and go back into settings before the software appears.

What is the problem with using beta software?

Betas aren’t the finished versions, and as such, you may find some of your favourite apps do not work with the new version of iOS 12. That’s what the developer beta is for, to allow app developers to update and/or build new apps to function with the new software.

The features that Apple promises to deliver in the autumn may not be fully functional. So, don’t expect them to work out of the box.

There may also be many security flaws and loopholes still exposed, so it’s a risk.

Our recommendation

Don’t install any software betas unless you are an app developer or an Apple tester.

If you are an app developer, download the software via the official Apple channels.

If you really can’t wait, make sure you back-up your iPhone fully and use a smartphone that isn’t your main device. There is every chance in these early stages, you could end up bricking your phone and rendering it unless. You don’t want that to happen your one and only £1,000 iPhone.