iPadOS 15 is a major update, and while the public beta is still a few months away, you might be tempted to install the developer beta on your iPad right away. If that’s the case, check out our guide on how to install iPadOS 15 on your iPad right away.
Apple has only released the developer beta of iPadOS 15, with the public beta scheduled to start early next month. This means that you cannot get the iPadOS 15 beta on your iPad by simply jumping on the public beta program. Instead, you will have to get your hands on the beta IPSW or the developer beta profile to get the update on your device.
iPadOS 15 is a major new release featuring an improved multitasking experience, widgets support on the home screen, and more.
Install iPadOS 15 Beta: Things to Know
- You must have the latest beta of Xcode installed on your Mac to install the iPadOS 15 beta on your iPhone.
- Create a backup of your iPad or iPad Pro running iPadOS 14.6 or higher. Do not restore this backup after installing iPadOS 15 on your iPad, though to avoid compatibility issues.
- Several third-party apps will not work on iPadOS 15 properly as they will need to be updated for the new OS.
iPadOS 15 is compatible with the same set of iPads as iPadOS 14. Impressively, Apple has not dropped support for any of the older iPads with this release, though certain features will only be available on iPads with A12 Bionic chip.
How to Get iPadOS 15 IPSW
To download the iPadOS 15 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 will 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 iPadOS on the page that opens.
Step 3: Click on Download and proceed to log in with your Apple developer account credentials. You can also directly head over to the Apple Developer download page.
Step 4: From the iPadOS 15 beta section, click on Download Restore Images followed by iPadOS restore image. Then, proceed to download the iPadOS 15 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 iPadOS 15 beta releases directly from Apple.
How to Install iPadOS 15 Beta Using IPSW Firmware File
Step 1: Connect the iPad to your Mac. It should be automatically detected and show up in Finder. In case you are connecting the iPad 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 iPad. 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 iPadOS 15 IPSW file you downloaded in Step 1.
Step 4: The installation process will now start. Your iPad will restart during the process. Once done, go through the initial setup process and set up your iPhone again. You will have to connect your iPad to the internet for activation purposes.
Watch the video below for the step by step instructions on how to install iPadOS 15 on your iPad, iPad Air or iPad Pro:
If you end up installing iPadOS 15 on your iPad, drop a comment and let us know your thoughts about the new features.
