Oliver Haslam on March 29, 2023, 6:32 pm

Enable iOS Beta In iOS 16.4 And Later, Here’s How

Apple’s iOS 16.4 update has changed the way the company’s beta program runs, allowing it to ditch the previous profile system in favor of something more automated. The company’s iOS 16.5 beta is the first to use that system, and here’s how to use it.

Previous iOS betas required the use of a special profile to be installed. That profile could be downloaded from the Apple developer website, but that meant that profiles often leaked.

Now, Apple is ditching the profiles entirely in favor of a system that will automatically offer betas to people whose Apple ID is registered as being a developer or part of a developer team.

Beginning with iOS & iPadOS 16.4 beta, members of the Apple Developer Program will see a new option to enable developer betas directly from Software Update in Settings. This new option will be automatically enabled on devices already enrolled in the program that update to the latest beta release. Your iPhone or iPad must be signed in with the same Apple ID you used to enroll in the Apple Developer Program in order to see this option in Settings. In future iOS and iPadOS releases, this new setting will be the way to enable developer betas and configuration profiles will no longer grant access.

Apple is also automatically removing the old beta profiles as part of a future update as well.

Here’s how to continue to get betas if that’s something you want to do.

Step 1: Open the Settings app on a device running iOS 16.4 or later.

Step 2: Tap General followed by Software Update.

Step 3: Tap the new Beta Updates button.

Step 4: Choose whether you want to install the betas or turn them off entirely.

You might need to sign in with an Apple ID, but note that this can be different to the one that you’re signed into your device with. That’s good news for people who use their developer ID for betas but want to be able to sign in using their personal ID for iCloud and other services.