Apple iOS 9 Public Beta released

Apple has released public beta versions of iOS 9 and Mac OS X 10.11 El Capitan, as they promised back at WWDC 2015. The pre-release software is available for free immediately to anyone with compatible iOS and Mac hardware.

This is the first time Apple is offering a public version of its mobile platform, allowing anyone to download and test out iOS 9 for free. Those registered in Apple's Developer Program will still get access to newer builds, while features will be added to the public builds after they have been tested by developers.

Apple's iOS 9 is visually very similar to iOS 8, except for brand new system-wide font and some minor visual tweaks here and there. Key changes include a smarter Proactive Siri assistant and brand new multitasking for iPad among other things.

How to download and install iOS 9 Public Beta

Even though Apple has made iOS 9 beta available to the public, we do not recommend installing it unless you are fully aware of the risks that come from installing unfinished software. Performance issues, instability, battery life drainage and other issues are common with beta releases. We’ll recommend installing this on a spare and test device only. DO NOT install the beta on your main primary device. Please proceed at your own risk.

Apple iOS 9 is only compatible with the following list of iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch devices:

iPhone

• iPhone 6 Plus
• iPhone 6
• iPhone 5s
• iPhone 5c
• iPhone 5
• iPhone 4s

iPad

• iPad Air 2
• iPad Air
• iPad 4
• iPad 3
• iPad 2
• iPad mini 3
• iPad mini 2
• iPad mini

iPod

• iPod touch 5th-gen

If you have a compatible device, and know what you are getting yourself into, feel free to follow these steps to install iOS 9 on your device

1. Download and install the latest stable version of iOS on your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch. At this point it is iOS 8.4 which can be downloaded from here.
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2. Sign up for Apple's iOS Beta Program by heading to https://beta.apple.com/sp/betaprogram or sign into your Apple account once you have followed that link.
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3. Accept the Agreement which is presented to you, keeping in mind that you are agreeing to install pre-release software on your iOS device.
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4. Now you’re going to enroll your iOS device into the beta program.
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5. Open the following link on your iPhone or iPad: beta.apple.com/profile.
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6. Sign in with the same Apple ID account once again on your iOS device.
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7. Now tap on the blue ‘Download profile’ button.
   [NOTE] If you have an Apple Watch paired to your iPhone then you’ll get the following popup as shown in the screenshot below. Tap on ‘iPhone’ only.
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8. Tap on the ‘Install’ button on the top right of the display. You’ll be required to input your passcode to confirm the action if you have one in place.
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9. Once you’ve entered your passcode, you’ll be asked to agree to a ‘Consent’ from Apple. Click on ‘Install’ on the top right once again.
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10. You’ll be presented with a popup asking you to restart your iPhone or iPad. Do so by tapping on ‘Restart.’
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11. Once your iPhone or iPad is done restarting, head over to Settings > General > Software Update, and the iOS 9 Public Beta 1 download will be sitting there for your approval. Simply hit the ‘Download and Install’ button to get things rolling.

You can learn more about Apple's public beta of Mac OS X 10.11 El Capitan, and find out how to install the desktop update on your Mac.