Apple just kicked off its WWDC 2015 by officially unveiling iOS 9. The update will be released in the fall but can be downloaded now or in July during its public beta.
Apple's developer site has a complete rundown of known issues in iOS 9 and provides a workaround for many of them. The first beta of iOS 9 is solely intended for iOS developers, and Apple notes that installing the software is only intended for devices registered in the iOS Developer Program, which anyone can sign up for and pay $99 to join.
Once you're registered, you'll gain entry to the downloads page, where you'll be able to download Xcode, the latest version of iTunes and select which iOS device you're going to install iOS 9 beta on and save the file to your desktop. Apple announced that all iOS devices capable of running iOS 8 would be able to run iOS 9. These include the iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c, iPhone 5, iPhone 4s, iPad Air, iPad Air 2, iPad mini, iPad mini 2, iPad mini 3, iPad fourth generation, iPad third generation, iPad 2, and iPod touch fifth generation.
The easiest way to install iOS 9 Beta is by using iTunes and following these simple instructions. Open the version of iTunes you downloaded and installed.
Plug in your iOS device and choose the device you want to install iOS 9 Beta on.
You'll need to hold down the Shift key in Windows or the Option key in OS X and click on the "Update" button.
Select the. ipsw file you downloaded and saved to your desktop and click on the "Open" button. iTunes may prompt you that you're about to update your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch with iOS 9. Click the "Ok" button to continue.
After iTunes finishes installing iOS 9 on your device, it will reboot and then you'll then see a "Slide to Upgrade" button, which you'll need to slide. Your iOS device will reboot again and you'll see the familiar "Hello" screen, swipe the "Slide to Setup" button, then tap "Continue" and follow the on-screen instructions to set up your device. You'll now be running iOS 9 Beta on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch.
If you don't want to spend $99 to get a first taste of iOS 9, Apple also announced that, for the first time, it would open up iOS 9 Beta to the public in July at no cost. You'll need to sign up on Apple's Beta Software Program page to take part, and the company will contact you via email once it makes the software available to download.
Since beta software is not final and contains numerous bugs, it's best not to install iOS 9 Beta on your main device, and you should always make sure you back up your device before installing. If you install iOS 9, let us know what you think of the new OS in the comments below.
