Apple has released public betas for iOS 14, iPadOS 14, macOS Big Sur, tvOS 14, and watchOS 7, giving users a great opportunity to try out the new software and provide feedback.
But with public beta releases come risks that you should be prepared for.
Just because it's a public beta, don't be fooled into thinking there aren't any bugs. There are, and there are a lot of them. Public betas come with all sorts of problems, from bugs in the softwareto compatibility issues with all the apps and software you're running.
It can really be very annoying if you suddenly discover that everything is working perfectly except for the program that is constantly being used.
Now, installing Apple betas isn't that disastrous, according to Apple. You can roll back the programs if things go wrong — Apple has released rollback instructions for iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS and watchOS.
However, you should also be prepared for the worst-case scenario and always make sure you have a backup of all data (an off-device backup, in case your device doesn't work again). Data loss is truly the worst kind of problem you can face with beta releases.
Recovering data on devices where the beta version is problematic is really time-consuming, so be careful. You might play Russian roulette with data and win, but the question is what will you do with that one time you lose.
Here are our tips for public beta releases
- Don't run beta versions on devices you rely on!
- Have up-to-date off-device backups
- Don't run betas on hardware that you don't own!
We hope all of the above helps you decide whether you want to install the new public beta versions (iOS 14, iPadOS 14, macOS Big Sur, tvOS 14, and watchOS 7) released by Apple.
