No matter how great Apple makes its new OSes seem now, don't install the betas

Posted:
in General Discussion
Apple makes iOS 17 and macOS Sonoma sound fantastic. But Apple will also make them sound ready, and they really, really are not. Don't risk bricking your device.

Don't do this to your Mac.
Don't do this to your Mac.

Macs, iPhones, iPads, and more are superb devices -- but it's because of the software. Apple devices are superbly designed and engineered to preposterously high standards, but the software can break them.

Don't let us claim that the risk of totally bricking your device, permanently preventing it ever working, is high. But the odds don't have to be high, they just have to be this dangerous.

Without question, without fail, do not ever install any macOS, iOS, iPadOS or anything-whatsoever-OS onto a device that you rely on, on a daily basis.

Apple does not release beta versions of its operating systems for fun. It releases beta test versions so that they will be tested by more people than even it could ever pay.

Arguably, it's a bit cynical for Apple to put out software that inevitably will have problems, in the hope you'll find them. To be fair, though, Apple must be trying to minimize the risks -- and now it's also taking extra steps to protect us all.

You've got be a developer

Starting with iOS 16.4 and iPadOS 16.4, Apple has changed how developers can access betas. The old system of installing a "developer" profile on your device meant anyone would get one of these could install the beta.

Apple is moving to a system where there are no profiles that can be shared around, there is just a registered developer account and devices that are logged in to it. If you are a developer and you say this iPhone and that Mac can have beta software, they will automatically get it.

Over time, that is meant to make working with betas easier for developers because the devices will just get the new versions as they are released.

But it really also locks out people who have no business reason to test devices. Apple charges $100 per year to register someone as a developer, and while it's practically a token amount, it's now going to be enough to dissuade people.

The people who are not willing to pay $100 annually are the ones who would not be using betas for development.

If you are a developer or you do want to pay $100 for the chance to wreck your device, there is another issue that is meant to stand in your way.

Forget booting from an external drive

It used to be that you could create a bootable external drive and install a macOS beta on that. But don't count on it any more.

Since the 2017 introduction of the T2 chip handle secure booting, Apple has been discouraging attempts to create external boot disks.




You could do it then in 2017, and you could still do it in 2019 with a little effort. And even in 2021, it was possible, but certain macOS releases made it problematic, and it seemed almost random whether your USB-C external drive would boot or not.

It's all presumably meant, in part, to prevent a developer downloading a beta and then passing it around to be installed on anyone else's machine. That does make sense.

But the same issue also means that it's very hard to restore a Mac that's gone wrong under the beta locally, and even internet recovery is shaky on a beta.

No kidding

Whether you've been lucky before and the betas have always worked for you, has no bearing on whether you're going to be lucky again. Eventually, you will lose data, and you will crash your device.

So, the best tip for how to install and run a beta version of macOS, iOS, or iPadOS, or watchOS, or tvOS for most people, is don't do it.

Avoiding the final version might not be a bad thing, too

At risk of sounding like we'll never update anything, you should also ignore final releases if you rely on your hardware for a living -- at least for a week or two after the public release.

Apple can count on a large number of developers, with spare devices, testing out the betas because they must. Yet when an OS release is finished, it gets taken up by gigantically more users -- and they will find more problems.

Some of those will be bugs, but others will be incompatibilities. Even if developers have stuck firmly to Apple guidelines over the years, there is a chance that they will have to update their apps to work with the latest OS.

And, at least on the Mac, there are plenty of examples of when developers have not stuck to the guidelines. Then something that worked fine under, say, macOS Ventura, may not work under the latest macOS.

Apple tells it straight - the sole purpose of the beta is to help improve the OSes
Apple tells it straight - the sole purpose of the beta is to help improve the OSes

Betas exist for a reason

Blame Apple for making it harder to have an emergency external boot disk, but not for making beta software that causes problems. Finding those problems is the entire point of a beta program.

We might put it a bit more strongly on our "the beta is here" posts, but even Apple warns against using beta software. And they aren't subtle about it.

Unless somebody is paying you to risk your devices, applaud from the sidelines and wait for those final releases.

Read on AppleInsider
WeirdMethod

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 19
    Oh the humanity!  The sky is falling!! The sky is falling!!!

    Newsflash: there has never been a version of a Mac operating systems that bricked a mac, iPhone, or an iPad.  In the extremely rare circumstances where something went wrong, 9.999 times out of 10, it was user error.

    Unlike many other software developers, most software releases out of Apple have been amazingly stable.  Some features might not fully work yet. Some may be redesigned before final release. But there’s never been anything that will break your entire system.

    REST ASSURED USERS…. IT IS PERFECTLY FINE TO INSTALL THESE BETAS.
    edited June 2023 kkqd1337darkvader
  • Reply 2 of 19
    Ditto Nunnyobizz. In the old days betas were troublesome at times but never fatal. Betas are fun and if there are not any urgent “oh nos!” after developer release risk is very low. Most 
    Mac aficionado sites/YouTubers always caution about loading betas to daily drivers out of tradition more than statistical evidence.
    kkqd1337darkvaderNunnyobizz
  • Reply 3 of 19
    chutzpahchutzpah Posts: 392member
    But... but... but... new screensavers!
    kkqd1337
  • Reply 4 of 19
    kkqd1337kkqd1337 Posts: 423member
    This article is inaccurate 

    I downloaded a beta profile from a Twitter link and used it to install iOS17 no problems, no $100 to Apple. 




    darkvaderNunnyobizz
  • Reply 5 of 19
    baconstangbaconstang Posts: 1,099member
    To be, or just be a developer.  That is the question...
  • Reply 6 of 19
    dbs888dbs888 Posts: 13member
    This "editorial" warning does not reflect my personal experience over the past several years. I'm in Appleseed (an invitation only) beta group at Apple. I start running betas from beta 1 for Mac O/S, IOS, iPad OS, TVOS, HomePod OS and Apple Watch OS. Years ago (talking 5 years+) I had issues with printers not working and occasionally Parallels emulations had bugs but, by and large, never any critical issues.
    And certainly NEVER had any Apple device bricked by an Apple beta. YMMV of course but this article is over-the-top baloney.
    Nunnyobizz
  • Reply 7 of 19
    Mike WuertheleMike Wuerthele Posts: 6,837administrator
    Oh the humanity!  The sky is falling!! The sky is falling!!!

    Newsflash: there has never been a version of a Mac operating systems that bricked a mac, iPhone, or an iPad.  In the extremely rare circumstances where something went wrong, 9.999 times out of 10, it was user error.

    Unlike many other software developers, most software releases out of Apple have been amazingly stable.  Some features might not fully work yet. Some may be redesigned before final release. But there’s never been anything that will break your entire system.

    REST ASSURED USERS…. IT IS PERFECTLY FINE TO INSTALL THESE BETAS.
    This is an untrue statement.
    WeirdMethodAlex1Nmuthuk_vanalingam
  • Reply 8 of 19
    mikethemartianmikethemartian Posts: 1,281member
    I’ve never installed a beta version but used to install the latest OS when officially released and I would have problems with printers and such so now I only upgrade when I have to.
    JapheyWeirdMethodAlex1Ntokyojimu
  • Reply 9 of 19
    XedXed Posts: 2,507member
    You don't have to pay Apple anything to sign up for their developer portal. You also haven't needed to have a paid developer account to get access to major new OS betas. I don't know what year they started that, but I'd say it's been around 5 years now.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 10 of 19
    jbtuckrjbtuckr Posts: 28member
    ATTN!! To get the iOS 17 developer beta without being a developer, just keep going back and forth between “General” and “Software update” and it’ll show up. 
    darkvaderxgman
  • Reply 11 of 19
    I understand your concerns about Apple betas. They're indeed meant for testing, and installing them can be risky. However, for developers, they're crucial for early integration of new features. Apple offers guidelines on safely using betas. Check out this guide from Apple's Developer website.
    Alex1NNunnyobizzwatto_cobra
  • Reply 12 of 19
    darkvaderdarkvader Posts: 1,146member
    I'm downloading it now.

    And I'm not a developer.  :p
    Nunnyobizzkkqd1337
  • Reply 13 of 19
    xgmanxgman Posts: 159member
    Not for the faint of heart, and it can cause incompatibilities and glitches, but if you know what you're doing it's fine. If you have the last beta profile installed, the new ones will show up.
  • Reply 14 of 19
    Shack24Shack24 Posts: 1member
    Been installing the (public) Betas for 4-5 years.....NEVER had a fatal issue.
    If your tech enough and understand the risk.....you'll be fine
    And by the way.....I have not paid for my betas ever.....Public Betas are free

    Yes you can get some sloshy performance and weird app behavior. But thats what the feedback app is for
    Issues are usually corrected within 1-2 cycles of the next betas
    Nunnyobizz
  • Reply 15 of 19
    Oh the humanity!  The sky is falling!! The sky is falling!!!

    Newsflash: there has never been a version of a Mac operating systems that bricked a mac, iPhone, or an iPad.  In the extremely rare circumstances where something went wrong, 9.999 times out of 10, it was user error.

    Unlike many other software developers, most software releases out of Apple have been amazingly stable.  Some features might not fully work yet. Some may be redesigned before final release. But there’s never been anything that will break your entire system.

    REST ASSURED USERS…. IT IS PERFECTLY FINE TO INSTALL THESE BETAS.
    This is an untrue statement.


    Actually it is 100% factually correct as other users here have also pointed out… Apple has never released any software that bricks a device.  

    But as you seem to disagree, I welcome you to provide a few very specific instances where simple installation of Apple’s beta software releases fatally disabled a device.  I’ve been a mac user for over 40 years and never had such problems, so I eagerly look forward to your examples.

    Which OS releases entirely bricked systems? 
    edited June 2023
  • Reply 16 of 19
    So, a quick reference. I only read this site, signed up to answer. I run a Mac Pro M1 , ipad pro 11 M2, iphone 13, apple TV the original 4k one, all on beta, all since day one. ipad i gave my daughter, beta, my GF iphone, ipad, beta. Now, this is where the writer is correct, but he is outright fear-mongering, I cannot say for sure, but i suspect the beta killed my GF first ipad. I have tried everything and cannot get it out of the loop. So that's one. Go back and re-read, way more success than the one failure. That I cannot guarantee was the beta, it is only speculation. I still think it was though. 

    It is at your own risk. But I beta my android devices too. So far no issues. been doing it for years. I would like to see the data or the research put into this article. As now I question whether i will trust it. Do you have to be a developer? LOL NOOOOOOOO. My GF far from it, loves using the beta though. If you are a developer you get the developer one, not the public one. As someone who does all the betas on almost all of my devices, i say read, educate and try it. 

    Extra hint of advice, if you do have an issue and have to go to an apple store, know that you will have to take the beta off before they repair it. I know from experience. Running all the current betas on all of my devices and the M1 Mac Pro I am typing on. Try it, just have the knowledge that something can go wrong, and accept that. 
    Nunnyobizz
  • Reply 17 of 19
    JP234 said:
    Well, if you're "smart" enough to install and use a beta on your connected device, I suggest you do a Time Machine backup if it's a Mac, or a backup to your Mac if it's an iOS device.

     Have a MacBook pro that’s crashing, so I tried putting it on Beta Ventura, which didn’t fix CATERR. Come to find out the crash dumps all reported that the macOS had never been updated, even though I it was set to install them automatically. Turns out that Time Machine backups (even for beta MacOSes) HAVE to be put on a journaled Apple-formatted volume exclusively , which forced me to overwrite a brand new NTFS-preformatted external drive. Sent plenty of analytics reports but got no responses probably due to those reports indicated an older MacOS ver. and the last message with a CATERR was replied to four years ago: 1999. Genius Bar scared to death to do anything but replace the MB for $600 just because I left Beta Ventura on it and they couldn’t revert MacOS off Dev-channel even after removing from my trusted devices.
    Off the topic, I partitioned another external HDD as exFat using Ventura, and my Win10 pro PC can’t see it
    as being attached to a volume so it shows up as hidden inaccessible with no assignable drive letter even with diskpart.

    edited June 2023
  • Reply 18 of 19

    I'm sorry but this article is just honestly, rubbish. In years of running betas on my daily driver devices, I've never once have had a major issue that has made my device unusable.  But even still, the process to wipe and restore any Apple device is not hard at all.


    This particularly is blatant misinformation "Don't let us claim that the risk of totally bricking your device, permanently preventing it ever working, is high. But the odds don't have to be high, they just have to be this dangerous." It won't brick your device, period, you can always roll back to the previous non-beta software.

    Also this..."You've got be a developer." Again incorrect, the developer beta was free this year to all. Not to mention I've never had an issue finding in the past for free.

    Was even basic research done prior to the writing and publishing of this article? Sure doesn't seem like it...

  • Reply 19 of 19
    XedXed Posts: 2,507member

    I'm sorry but this article is just honestly, rubbish. In years of running betas on my daily driver devices, I've never once have had a major issue that has made my device unusable.  But even still, the process to wipe and restore any Apple device is not hard at all.


    This particularly is blatant misinformation "Don't let us claim that the risk of totally bricking your device, permanently preventing it ever working, is high. But the odds don't have to be high, they just have to be this dangerous." It won't brick your device, period, you can always roll back to the previous non-beta software.

    Also this..."You've got be a developer." Again incorrect, the developer beta was free this year to all. Not to mention I've never had an issue finding in the past for free.

    Was even basic research done prior to the writing and publishing of this article? Sure doesn't seem like it...

    I've also never had an issue, but that's not the same as being a responsible media outlet and telling people there is no inherent danger to installing betas.

    Additionally, there are many reports of Sonoma bricking Macs. More so than I've heard about in the many years I've been installing betas. Apple even had a revised issue of the 4th beta because it was so problematic.

    https://appleinsider.com/articles/23/07/31/apple-releases-revised-macos-sonoma-developer-beta-4
    edited August 2023
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