Apple Moves to Prevent iPhone Users From Getting iOS 17 Developer Beta for Free

[MacRumors]

Starting with the iOS 16.4 beta, the iPhone has a new "Beta Updates" menu in the Settings app under General → Software Update. This menu will allow members of Apple's Developer Program to enable iOS developer betas directly on an iPhone, without needing to install a configuration profile from the Apple Developer website.

The menu will only appear if a user's iPhone is signed into the same Apple ID they used to enroll in Apple's Developer Program. In future iOS releases, Apple says this menu will be the only way to enable developer betas, as profiles will stop working.

This change will prevent iPhone users who aren't enrolled in Apple's Developer Program for $99 per year from installing the iOS 17 developer beta for free when it is released at WWDC in June. Until now, anyone could easily install iOS developer betas for free by downloading the profiles from websites such as BetaProfiles.dev.

Apple already cracked down on websites sharing developer beta profiles last year. BetaProfiles.com shut down in August to avoid a "legal battle with Apple," while Apple lawyers provided Twitter with DMCA takedown notices for over a dozen tweets containing links to IPSW.dev. BetaProfiles.dev remains live and appears to be a carbon copy of BetaProfiles.com, but it's unclear if the website has the same ownership.

iPhone users who don't want to pay $99 per year for Apple's Developer Program will have to wait for the public beta of iOS 17, which will likely be released in July. Users can enroll in Apple's public Beta Software Program for free.

Users may still be able to install the iOS 17 developer beta for free using an IPSW file, but it remains to be seen if this will be an option. Many years ago, Apple only allowed beta IPSW files to be installed on devices registered to an Apple developer account, and Apple could choose to reintroduce this former policy. At a minimum, the elimination of configuration profiles will make the task more tedious in the future.

Article Link: Apple Moves to Prevent iPhone Users From Getting iOS 17 Developer Beta for Free

 

[mjs916]

Is there a benefit to the Dev beta other than earlier access?

 

[WiiDSmoker]

Is there a benefit to the Dev beta other than earlier access?

Not when even official releases are riddled with bugs and incomplete features.

 

[DFZD]

Tim Cook’s Apple.. always bit from the wrong end.

 

[willyx]

Many youtubers are going to be pissed about this xD

 

[posguy99]

Is there a benefit to the Dev beta other than earlier access?

The entertainment provided when the 'l33t install it and then whine about it?

 

[Westside guy]

I wonder if they're planning to more rigorously enforce the NDA-ish aspects of the beta program, or if it's an issue with people grabbing the beta and then complaining publicly and loudly about issues, or something else?

Not that it particularly matters to me... the actual releases feel too much like betas as it is, I have no interest in testing the actual beta releases anymore.

 

[posguy99]

Many youtubers are going to be pissed about this xD

That's a plus, not a minus.

 

[till]

There are very few reasons for a non-developer to use a beta, I assume this has been done mostly to cut down on support requests from people who don't know what they're doing.

 

[Love-hate 🍏 relationship]

Money ! Yay

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

I would not be surprised if Apple completely eliminates the public beta program. The public is there to provide good feedback which is to provide improvement and stability. However, Apple doesn’t seem to think that way anymore.

Bottom line: Pay the $99 Developer Fee. That’s what Apple wants.

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

Many youtubers are going to be pissed about this xD

These YouTubers need to stop doing new Apple product early review videos. It's nothing but a scripted sales talk from Apple. Sales and marketing at its finest!

 

[Jack Burton]

I can't imagine running beta OS software on my most used computing device. I guess some people are ready for that adventure. Is it worth $99? Not to me! Let the brave explorers take that hit.

 

[mjs916]

These YouTubers need to stop doing new Apple product review videos. It's nothing but a scripted sales talk from Apple.

You mean the early reviews, right? You’ve got to watch the ones that aren’t getting early access.

They use their own money to purchase and review so they aren’t fearful of repercussions if they talk about whatever they feel like.

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

You mean the early reviews, right? You’ve got to watch the ones that aren’t getting early access.

They use their own money to purchase and review so they aren’t fearful of repercussions if they talk about whatever they feel like.

Yes! I 100% agree. However, most people don’t know that.

 

[Kylo83]

iOS 17 is gonna be such a minor update just like iOS 16 apart from Lock Screen changes we have had nothing for 2 years, it’s upsetting 10 years and same look. I think the whole beta thing isn’t worth it anymore, seeing as iOS 17 is just a minor bug fix update why does it even need 3 months of beta testing?

 

[Hart1583]

Here comes back the days where you pay someone like $10 to add your device to their dev account list

 

[Beatrix Kiddo]

I would not be surprised if Apple completely eliminates the public beta program. The public is there to provide good feedback which is to provide improvement and stability. However, Apple doesn’t seem to think that sat anymore.

Bottom line: Pay the $99 Developer Fee. That’s what Apple wants.

No this exactly the opposite what Apple wants.

Regular people on public beta, developpers on developper beta. I don’t see why that might anger some people.

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

Here comes back the days where you pay someone like $10 to add your device to their dev account list

Sounds like a Shareable Developers Account? 🤦‍♀️

 

[KurtWilde]

It’s stinks free loading non-developers can’t find the beta profiles and get the new features early but I can use hop on the public beta and wait the extra bit to still get to use the new features early.

 

[brofkand]

A baffling number of people call in or visit Apple stores with issues because they’re running beta software.

 

[Danfango]

I would not be surprised if Apple completely eliminates the public beta program. The public is there to provide good feedback which is to provide improvement and stability. However, Apple doesn’t seem to think that way anymore.

Bottom line: Pay the $99 Developer Fee. That’s what Apple wants.

A beta programme is not supposed to be used for customer feedback. It's supposed to be there so that developers can integration test their apps against the new OS build and validate that nothing has been broken by any changes. When the vendor drops the RTM version, the customers are supposed to get a finished product.

Granted the definition of "finished" seems to stop around 80% now.

 

[imlynxy]

One can buy UUID registration for less than 9900 US cents.

Legally one can loose phone warranty if one uses iOS developer beta firmware without UUID registration.

 

[Hart1583]

Sounds like a Shareable Developers Account? 🤦‍♀️

Back in the day to get the betas, your device ID had to be registered on a dev account for it to “verify” install. Dev accounts can have (I think) 100 devices registered to the beta program account. I always did it for the single digit IOS releases when it was required. I paid a guy every year, and he added my device ID on it.

 

[Skyscraperfan]

Why does Apple charge developers $99 per year? That is a hurdle for a kid that just creates an app for fun, which could generate a lot of money for Apple.