With the public beta of iOS 27 now available for users to test, many are wondering if it is completely safe and what are the downsides of installing an iOS beta on their iPhone. Generally speaking, iOS public betas are for anyone who wants to test upcoming iOS features. They are different from the previously released developer-only beta and are intended for software developers who want to test their applications on the latest version. But there are several drawbacks that have long stopped users from trying beta versions, and you can’t ignore them.
Common issues you may encounter after installing an iOS public beta include stability issues, potential security issues, app incompatibility, slow performance, and lower battery life. This is largely because the beta is still an unfinished version of iOS and is bound to have bugs and issues. That’s the idea for its release: to allow users to test and report bugs, which can then be fixed before the iOS version is released to the public.
Apple also recommends against installing public beta versions of iOS on your primary iPhone or any device essential to your daily workflow. He suggests using a secondary device for the beta, while running stable builds on the primary.
Stability issues and security issues
Public beta versions of iOS aren’t as polished or polished as the stable version that users typically run on their iPhones, and the latter often arrives a few months later. During this period, Apple identifies and fixes bugs in the beta version. This is why if you install the beta version as soon as it is released, you may encounter bugs, stability issues, and some features that may not work. For example, built-in apps may crash as soon as you launch them, the interface may appear faulty, or iPhone notifications may not appear in specific situations.
You might experience any of these issues and more. With different versions of iOS, different problems appear. Also, it is important to remember that not all iOS beta versions are problematic and unstable. Some are surprisingly stable, while others become more stable over time as Apple rolls out new beta updates. Additionally, a beta, whether public beta or developer beta, may have security vulnerabilities, exposing your iPhone to attacks and threats. Although less common than stability issues, the risk of security threats is real.
Application incompatibility
It’s not just built-in apps that are showing signs of instability in beta versions. You may also encounter similar issues with third-party apps. And the reason is simple: developers did not have time to thoroughly test their applications with the latest version. So, with public beta versions of iOS, some features may not work and installed apps may crash or even fail to launch completely. The likelihood of this happening on a stable iOS release is relatively low. This is because app developers beta test their apps and eliminate any bugs that impact core functionality or user experience.
The worst part is that you don’t know which app will be impacted or to what extent before you install the iOS beta. Sometimes banking apps stop working, while in other cases configured iPhone VPNs crash. So, if you rely on critical apps every day, it’s best to avoid beta versions on iPhones where they might be installed.
Performance and battery life issues
Performance and battery life can also suffer when installing an iOS beta, and this is often widely talked about. Over the years, beta testers have reported declining battery life on their iPhone across all iOS versions. Slowdowns, whether occasional or persistent, are also possible. Even during the beta testing period, one release may fix part of the problem, while the next may introduce more. This uncertainty should be taken into account before considering installing a beta version of iOS.
Of course, for some users the problem is more serious than for others. One of the main factors causing this phenomenon is the age of the iPhone being used. For example, an iPhone 17 is less likely to have performance or battery issues with iOS 27 beta than an iPhone 11, although both are officially supported. That said, it’s also important to point out that the iOS 27 betas appear to be more stable than previous betas, with early adopters reporting fewer issues.
Risk of data loss
One of the biggest risks of installing the iOS public beta is data loss. Although rare, you could end up losing all files and apps stored on your iPhone, both when installing and removing a beta. This is why experts recommend backing up your iPhone beforehand. A backup is useful if your iPhone becomes unresponsive during installation or is too unstable to use after installing the public beta. Keep in mind that rolling back to a stable version of iOS from a beta isn’t as easy as it seems. You will need to put your iPhone into recovery mode to restore the latest stable version of iOS. But this also means that the iPhone will be cleaned. So if you continue, always create a backup.
Even when it comes to backups, local backups on a computer should be the preferred approach over iCloud backups. Indeed, an iCloud backup can be replaced by that of the beta version of iOS. A local backup, on the other hand, will allow you to restore your iPhone to the same state it was in at the time of the backup. The only things you lose are changes made after saving.
