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iOS 8, the next version of Apple’s iPhone/iPad operating system software, was unveiled at WWDC 2014. But for most owners of Apple devices, seeing the exciting new features in iOS 8 was a bit of a tease, because they won’t be able to get hold of iOS 8 for months. It is, however, possible to get it right now, as we explain here.

Getting iOS 8 ahead of the public launch essentially comes down to a single option: join the iOS 8 beta programme. Apple gets apps developers to try out beta versions of iOS 8 for a few months before it unleashes the final software on the public. These betas are test versions unfinished versions of iOS 8 with pretty much all the features that will make it into the o cial iOS 8 but probably a few cosmeticdi erences… not to mention some glitches and problems that will need to be fixed.

In other words, don’t expect a perfect user experience. In particular, don’t expect existing apps to work perfectly with iOS 8. One of the points of the beta test programme is to give developers a chance to make their apps work with the new OS. A lot of non-developers joined the iOS 7 beta and then gave low App Store reviews to the apps that didn’t yet work with it, which is rather unfair. We would politely request that people not do that it can really damage a developer’s ranking. But it could be worse than just a couple of apps not working right. Sometimes people find that certain models struggle to cope with a beta OS in any meaningful way, and you may find that your device is e ectively bricked until the next beta comes out and fixes the problem. Experienced beta users always advise you to install a beta version of iOS on a secondary or spare device - an older iPod touch rather than your main iPhone, say. Anyway. If you know what you’re getting into and still want to try the iOS 8 beta, you’ll need to register as an Apple developer and join the iOS Developer Program, which costs $99 a year. Go to Apple’s developer site and enrol using your Apple ID.

Before downloading the iOS 8 beta, back up the device you’re going to install the beta on. That way you can restore it fairly easily if something goes seriously wrong. Sign into the iOS Dev Center using the Apple ID used in the previous step. Register your Apple device’s UDID (the easiest way to find out your UDID is to plug the device into iTunes, click on the device’s icon in the top right-hand corner, view the Summary tab and click on the Serial Number entry to get it to change to the UDID). Now you’ll be able to download the appropriate version of the iOS 8 beta for your hardware  select the exact iPhone, iPod touch or iPad model you’re using from the list. Unzip the file that downloads to your Mac (this should produce a .IPSW file). Connect your device to iTunes (if it isn’t already).