We mentioned that the US-based technology giant Apple recently released the first developer beta for iOS 16.4. One of the features in this new version was that users would decide which beta version to install. The latest information suggests that Apple may have different plans for this feature.
People who want to enroll in Apple’s official Developer Program must pay $99 per year. However, developer profiles offered for free by some websites allowed developer beta versions to be downloaded without paying $99, thus allowing early experience of the latest features. The feature coming with the first developer beta of iOS 16.4 is a clear indication that this detour can be left behind.
May require payment to say new features before anyone else
According to Apple’s statement, the beta version preference feature, which is available in the developer beta version of iOS 16.4, will be the only option for beta versions in the future. In other words, users will not be able to install the beta version externally. It is said that this will bring a significant change with iOS 17. Because, if the change takes place as claimed, any user who does not pay the fee and sign up for the Developer Program will not be able to download the developer beta version via their developer profile. As such, the public beta version will have to wait.
In fact, Apple’s moves on companies that distribute free developer profiles have already begun. In this context, Apple, which started legal proceedings for such sites, had some sites closed. Some sites that follow the developments have decided to close on their own. There are a few sites that distribute free developer profiles now, but it looks like these sites will be gone in the near future. It seems that with iOS 17, these sites will automatically become dysfunctional.
What is the developer beta version?
Like all software, iOS goes through a beta version with testers before the stable release. At this stage, the developer beta version is released first, and if there is no problem in this version, the public beta version is released. If problems are not detected in this version, the stable version reaches all users.
As you can see from this process, those who install the developer beta version reach the new iPhone features first. While the public beta is free to access, some tech enthusiasts choose to install the developer beta to get even earlier. Once Apple implements the above change, the public beta will continue to be available for free, even if you have to pay to install the developer beta.
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