The first beta of iOS 17 arrived on our iPhones on June 5, right after the WWDC follow-up that we religiously do every year. Despite the above, and as we usually say: The whole mountain is not oregano. It’s clear that iOS 17 has its lights and shadows, which have revealed themselves over weeks of testing.
We tell you our experience after more than 45 days squeezing betas of iOS 17, what are its most common failures and the risk to your iPhone, but above all… is it worth it? We help you clarify all your doubts.
The risks of installing a beta
It’s very easy to install a beta, although Apple has in the past wanted to restrict how users access betas, especially developer-focused ones, it didn’t take long to realize it was something like put gates on the ground. It’s because of it with the arrival of iOS 17 he decided to relax and give free rein to the curiosity of users, To make it easier for those of us who only want to share our knowledge with others in a selfless way, that we can do so on an equal footing with those who publish with Apple, their chosen ones.
It has been so since the arrival of iOS 17 the day June 5, 2023,
I had no choice but to install iOS 17 on my regular device, an iPhone 12 Pro that yearns to be replaced by the rumored iPhone 15 Pro in crimson red. Those of you who have been following us for a long time will know that it will cost me a lot of fun throughout the weekly Podcast we do, but I’m ready to dive into it.
Using an iOS beta on a device for daily and personal use, where you also have sensitive information, is something we don’t recommend at all. As We also do not recommend that you install without first performing a full backup via your PC or Mac, avoiding simple iCloud backups.
All for you, so on June 5, as soon as WWDC ended, it was time to install the iOS 17 beta, and use it for 45 days. Its use in the natural environment allowed me to discover if its functionalities were really worth it, and above all, to see what was missing in the development versions. of iOS, and that’s what we’re going to talk about.
The worst of the iOS 17 beta
Performance was boring a few times, but nothing particularly sorry. However, there are two points that have completely changed the way I use the iPhone: A considerable reduction in autonomy and a noticeable excess of operating temperature.
Autonomy is the daily bread, but it has been accused in particular with the continuous use of iOS 17 in its various Betas. I would dare to say that The battery lasts me on average 15% or 20% less than before.
The next thing to mention, of course, is the average iPhone usage temperature, and that’s an issue that the iPhone 12 Pro and other pre-iPhone 13 devices hang around. As you well know, problems with temperature sensors and dissipation, they cause the iPhone to display a peak brightness capability that is noticeably lower than the theoretical capability. A killer cocktail that keeps you from using the iPhone normally on the beach, or at the worst times of the day. It does not help at all that the iPhone when you install iOS 17 tends to get excessively hot with certain functions, especially if we use the camera, Photos app or third-party apps such as Instagram.
Therefore, I could say that the iPhone heats up regularly, creating discomfort when using it, but above all problems with performance and autonomy. However, these are the most serious problems, but not the only ones, I leave you some small bugs that we regularly find:
- The keyboard opens, but the text box is not displayed.
- Problems in the Quick Commands (Control Center) of the HomeKit app, changing the color or intensity of the lighting in an undesirable way.
- Some apps quit unexpectedly.
- On some occasions, the phone and WiFi signal indicator disappeared.
Are you convinced? Install iOS 17
If despite the above, you are still convinced, the arrival of the public beta of iOS 17 is a good time to install it. As always, we recommend backing up your device via iCloud or your computer to ensure that if anything happens during the process, you don’t lose any data.
In addition, I recommend that you do it with our computer (PC or Mac) in case something happens or we want to make a demote to iOS 16, so we won’t lose any information. Once done, follow the steps below:
- you must register for the public beta program (link). By clicking on the ‘Register’ button.
- When we are done, our Apple ID will be registered and we will be able to access the new public betas launched by Apple from any device.
- If you have a device with iOS 16.4 or iPadOS 16.4 Just go to Settings > General > Software Updates and a new tab will appear: Beta updates.
- Click on this section and all the beta versions to which we have access will appear. Click on the one that interests us “iOS 17 Public Beta”, and click on Download and Install.
- The rest of the update looks like a normal update.