Apple today released the first beta of iOS 14 for all compatible iPhones. While the beta is only intended for developers in its current state, you can always install it on your iPhone by following this guide.
Some of the major new iOS 14 features include a revamped home screen experience, digital Car Key support, enhanced Apple Maps app, and more.
While Apple has only announced the iOS 14 beta for now, you don’t really need to be a developer to install the update on your iPhone. However, you should ideally wait for a few more beta releases before installing iOS 14 as the initial beta releases can be buggy. You can always try iOS 14 on your iPhone and then restore it back to iOS 13.5.1 after a few days though once you have played around with all the new features.
Install iOS 14 Beta: Things to Know
- You must have the latest beta of Xcode installed on your Mac to install the iOS 14 beta on your iPhone.
- Create a backup of your iPhone running iOS 13.5. However, it is strongly recommended that you do not restore this backup on your iPhone after updating it to iOS 14 due to compatibility reasons.
- If you intend to use your iPhone as a daily driver with iOS 14 installed, do not do it. The first few beta builds are going to be buggy and there are going to be compatibility issues with third-party apps as well.
The good thing is that Apple is supporting iPhone 6s and higher with iOS 14. As for iOS 14’s release date, it will release in fall this year which likely means September.
How to Download iOS 14 IPSW
To download the iOS 14 beta IPSW, you must have an Apple developer account. If not, you can try getting your hands on the IPSW from other third-party sources or download it from the developer account of your friend or family member. The IPSW file is going to be noticeably bigger than the OTA file so make sure you are downloading it on a fast internet connection.
Step 1: Go to Apple’s developer site. If you are not a member, you need to join the program from here.
Step 2: Click on the Discover tab followed by iOS on the page that opens.
Step 3: Click on Download and proceed to login with your Apple developer account credentials. You can also directly head over to the Apple Developer download page.
Step 4: From the iOS 14 beta section, click on Download Restore Imagesfollowed by iOS restore images. Then, proceed to download the iOS 14 beta IPSW for the device that you want to install the OS on.
If you go with the IPSW installation route, you only need to do this the first time around. After that, you will get OTA updates for all future iOS 14 beta releases.
How to Install iOS 14 Beta Using IPSW Firmware File
Step 1: Connect the iPhone to your Mac. It should be automatically detected and show up in Finder. If you are connecting the iPhone to your Mac for the first time, you will have to accept the prompt to trust the computer on the device.
Step 2: Open a new Finder window and under Locations, you should see the connected iPhone. Click on the device name and wait for a few seconds.
Step 3: Hold the Option key and click the Check for Updates button. In the window that opens, select the iOS 14 IPSW file you downloaded in step 1.
Step 4: The installation process will now start. Your iPhone will restart during the process. Once done, go through the initial setup process and set up your iPhone again. Make sure your iPhone is connected to the internet for activation purposes.
If you do end up installing the iOS 14 beta on your iPhone, do drop a comment and let us know your experience with it and the new features that you are liking the most.
Update: Apple has released the second beta of iOS 14 for developers. You can follow the same steps mentioned above to install it on your iPhone. iOS 14 beta 2 comes with a number of changes and improvements. If you are already running iOS 14 beta 1 on your iPhone, you will automatically get an OTA update for beta 2.
