Now anyone can test this fall’s big iOS update.
The first iOS 17 Developer Beta was released on the first day of WWDC, as is tradition. While it is meant for developers to begin building apps using new frameworks and APIs, and to test and send bug reports if their apps don’t work with the new software, it is technically available to anyone with a developer account.
In fact, the Developer Beta used to require a paid membership to the developer program, which costs $99 a year. With iOS 17, Apple changed its policy to allow even those with free developer accounts (which otherwise only provide access to the developer forums and Xcode) to download the iOS 17 Developer Beta.
The first Public Beta was released on July 12, and corresponds with the same build as Developer Beta 3.
Update 07/31/23: Apple has released the second Public Beta of iOS 17. The fourth Developer Beta has been re-released with a slightly updated version–the new build number is 21A5291j while last week’s release was 21A5291h. Also out today are Public Beta 2 / Developer Beta 4 of iPadOS 17, watchOS 10, macOS Sonoma, and tvOS 17.iOS 17: New Features
As iOS 17 is a major release, it is full of new features. Some of our favorite iOS 17 features include live voicemail transcription, vastly improved autocorrect, better Siri (including the ability to trigger it with “Siri” rather than “Hey Siri”), contact posters, and StandBy.
Our iOS 17 guide has more on all the features coming this fall to your iPhone. Here, we’ll highlight any of the particularly interesting changes and updates in the latest beta release. Here’s what has been discovered in Developer Beta 4:
No more Photo Stream: Now that it’s no longer supported, My Photo Stream has been removed entirely.
