How to sign up for public betas of iOS 10 and macOS 10.12 Sierra

Apple will be rolling out the public betas for iOS 10 and macOS Sierra for all registered users in July. Here is how you can sign up and prepare your devices for the upcoming public beta releases.

Apple has a beta software program, where users can sign up to download and install iOS and macOS public betas from. However, it goes without saying, you should not try beta software on your primary iOS device or Mac. There is always a chance that it might have bugs which could reduce the functionality of your device or lose your data. While it is not easy to brick iOS devices or even Macs, via software updates, it is still risky.

How to sign up for public betas of iOS 10 and macOS 10.12 Sierra

If you are still interested in testing Apple’s latest operating system updates, go to the Apple Beta Software Program website and register with your Apple ID. Make sure that your iOS or Mac are compatible with the new updates. Once done, you have to enroll your devices to receive the updates when they become available. Follow the below steps to do so.

Enroll Mac for macOS Sierra beta

  1. Backup your Mac. We recommend using Time Machine with an external drive to backup your data.
  2. Download the public beta access utility from the public beta software website after registration.
  3. Install the utility and open up the Mac App Store. Navigate to the Updates tab and you should see the macOS 10.12 public beta update when it is released.

In case you change your mind later, you can always unenroll your Mac from the macOS public beta program. However, this will not roll your Mac back to a stable update. This has to be done manually and this is where the Time Machine backup that you create in step 1, comes in handy.

To unenroll:

  1. Open up System Preferences on your Mac and click on the App Store icon.
  2. You would see a message which says ‘Your computer is set to receive beta software updates’. Click on the ‘Change’ button next to it.
  3. Click on ‘Do not show beta software updates’.

Enroll iPhone or iPad for iOS 10 beta

  1. Go to http://beta.apple.com/profile on your iOS device.
  2. Click on ‘download’ and install the configuration profile. You might have to put in your passcode to allow it.
  3. Go to Settings > General > Software Update to check for iOS 10 public beta update and download it.

If you want to unenroll from the public beta, follow our guide to downgrade from iOS 10 beta to iOS 9.

Apple includes feedback apps to iOS and macOS betas so make sure to provide your feedback if you test our the new operating systems.

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