iOS Beta Program: How to Sign up for Early Updates of iOS 11.3 and beyond

Apple is on the verge of releasing iOS 11.3, which promises some cool features like single sign-in for websites using your iCloud account. But if you want to stay on the cutting edge of new releases before they’re available to the public, you can sign up to Apple’s Beta Program for iOS users.

Essentially, the beta program allows public users to become public testers. Once the developer beta stage is cleared, Apple typically makes the upcoming iOS version available to these public testers. The code here is relatively bug free when compared to the developer beta, but not quite ready for a full release.

The best part about being a public tester is that you get to see new features that the majority of Apple device users can’t, at least not until the public release.

Here’s how to become a public beta tester for Apple by signing up to their iOS Beta Program:

First of all, your device needs to be compatible with iOS 11, which means all newer iPads, iPhone 5s and up, and iPod Touch sixth generation.

Second, back up your iOS device to iTunes. Beta previews aren’t the final release, so there are bound to be some bugs that could delete data or even brick your phone, so you want to have something that you can restore to if anything goes wrong. There are options to encrypt your backup, which is advisable, and to backup your apps, which is highly recommended. Alternatively, you can use your iCloud account for the backup. In both cases, it’s better to archive your backup to prevent accidental overwrites.

Third, after the backup, head to the Apple Beta Software Program website, where you’ll see a lot of information about the program, the latest iOS version and so on. Be sure to peruse the FAQs section to see the key benefits and risks of becoming a beta user. At this point, you’ll be asked to sign in using your Apple ID, so make sure it’s the one you use for that particular device.

Once you’ve gone through this process and accepted Apple’s terms, you should get a notification that a beta version is available for you to download to and install on your device. Make sure you go through the program guide, which is where you’ll land after a successful signup.

Now, all that’s left is to explore iOS 11.3 before any of your friends!

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