There is a lot of excitement whenever Apple unveils a major iOS version. So I can understand that the natural instinct is to install the iOS 8 beta, especially since it includes some major new features and improvements. However, I thought we should highlight some of the reasons why you should avoid installing iOS 8 beta.

1. Compatibility issues with apps

We’re hearing a number of issues with third-party apps on iOS 8 especially with popular apps like Whatsapp. This is not the developers fault so please don’t post a bad review for it in the App Store. They still have to update their apps for iOS 8. They will only be able to fix the issues and push the updates to the App Store when Apple releases iOS 8 Golden Master, which will be sometime in September.

2. It’s buggy

In addition to compatibility issues with third-party apps, there are number of bugs even in the stock apps, which can cause the Springboard to crash or the device to reboot. It can be quite annoying if it happens while you’re writing an important email, in the middle of a call or about to hit your highest score while playing your favorite game.

There is a reason why Apple is calling it a beta and not a public release and is limiting access to developers of iOS Developer program. Apple will use the beta phase, which usually lasts for three months to fix the crashing issues and bugs. Developers will also use this phase to update their apps to the new iOS 8 features and fix the compatibility issues.

If you really want to help then please feel free to report bugs to Apple here.

3. Downgrading to iOS 8

While it is quite easy to downgrade to iOS 7.1.1 from iOS 8 beta, you can run into some serious issues. You won’t be able to restore your device from an iOS 8 backup after downgrading to iOS 7.1.1. You will be able to restore your device only to an iOS 7 compatible backup. This means that the data between the time you upgraded to iOS 8 to the time you downgraded will be lost.

In fact, Apple warns users that they won’t be able to downgrade back to the previous version.

4. No Jailbreak

If you’ve a jailbroken device, then you should be aware that you will not only lose the jailbreak if you upgrade to iOS 8 beta, but you will be left with an unjailbreakable device for a long time. Hackers won’t release tools like evasi0n for beta versions of iOS software updates as Apple could fix the vulnerabilities used by the jailbreak tools in the final version. So you will only be able to jailbreak your device when hackers release a jailbreak for the public version of iOS 8. evasi0n7, the first jailbreak for iOS 7 was released at the end of last year, more than three months after iOS 7 was released to the public.

5. No help

You also won’t get help or support from either the developer or Apple for the problems you hit with iOS 8 beta. Developers will tell you to wait for the final version of iOS 8 and Apple may tell you to wait for the next beta version for the fix. Even developers don’t install beta versions on their primary devices. They usually have devices specially for testing their apps on beta versions of iOS.

6. Not fully optimized

iOS 8 beta is also not yet fully optimized. Apple is most likely collecting debug information to help them track and fix bugs, which could have an impact on performance. We also expect Apple to continue to improve the performance during the beta phase.

7. Expectations

Some of the cool new iOS 8 features such as Notification Center widgets and third-party keyboards won’t be available until iOS 8 is released to the public as developers will be able to submit their keyboard apps and apps that support widgets to the App Store only when iOS 8 Golden Master is available in September.

People also tend to get upset that iOS 8 beta is buggy and laggy. If you’re a developer then we’re sure you have experienced this, but if you’ve been a user who has downloaded the final releases, then iOS 8 beta can come as a rude shock as you’re probably used to the rock solid performance of

I can understand the curiosity, but wait for iOS 8 to be released so you don’t have to deal with the issues I’ve mentioned here.

But don’t worry, things will improve as Apple releases new beta versions over the next few weeks, but if you’re looking for the rock solid performance then you should wait for the final version. Please don’t set the wrong expectations and then complain if Apple doesn’t meet them.

So there you have it. I hope this article will help you take a more informed decision about installing iOS 8 beta.