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Apple has now released the first iPadOS 17 beta to developers, and in a first for the company, it is also giving non-developers the opportunity to download the beta on their iPads for free. Keep reading to learn how it's done.

In years past when Apple has announced a major new operating system update, the first wave of betas has officially only been available to download if you are a paying subscriber to Apple's Developer Program, which costs $99 a year. Public betas then become available to users enrolled in Apple's Public Beta Software Program after a delay of a few days or weeks after the developer beta has been released. However, this year you don't have to wait for the public beta to be one of the first to try out iPadOS 17.

In an unexpected change for 2023, anyone who signs in to Apple's developer account website with their Apple ID gets access to developer beta releases as well, even if they are not a paying member of Apple's Developer Program. This means anyone with an Apple ID can download and install the iOS 17, iPadOS 17, and macOS Sonoma betas without waiting for the public betas to launch.

iPadOS 17 drops support for the iPad Pro (1st generation) and iPad (5th generation), according to Apple. The new version of iPadOS supports the following iPad models:

Before downloading the update, it's worth noting that Apple does not recommend installing the iPadOS 17 Beta on your main iPad, so if you have a secondary device, use that. This is beta software, which means there are often bugs and issues that pop up that can prevent software from working properly or cause other problems.

With that caveat in mind, the following steps show you how to get iPadOS 17 betas on your iPad. Be sure to back up your iOS device before installing the software using the method described here, otherwise you won't be able to revert back to iPadOS 16 if things go wrong.

As of writing, the option to download and install the iPadOS 17 Developer Beta is also available for users who have previously enrolled on Apple's Beta Software Program, and yet the program is officially only supposed to be for Public Betas. This suggests the option is a bug and Apple will likely remove it. But until that happens, if you're currently enrolled to receive Public Betas, you can skip to step 6.

iPadOS 17 brings several new features to iPads, including updates to widgets and the Lock Screen that bring more parity with iPhones.

For the first time, iPads will support customized Lock Screens, while Home Screen widgets will be interactive. There's also now support for Live Activities, and the Health app is now available on iPad and takes advantage of the device's larger display sizes.

iPadOS 17 includes also improvements across the Notes, Messages, FaceTime, and Safari apps. In the Messages app, for example, there is a new consolidated sticker drawer that brings all of a user's stickers into one place, including Live Stickers, emoji stickers, and third-party sticker packs. iPad users can also create their own stickers from photos.

Other new features include a journaling app coming later this year, AirPlay in select hotel rooms, improvements to AirPods Pro 2 thanks to a new Adaptive Audio feature, offline Maps, Siri that does not require the "Hey" activation, and improvements to search and spotlight.

iPadOS 17 is expected to get its official public release in the fall, possibly in tandem with the release of iOS 17, or shortly thereafter.

Read more:
How to Install the iPadOS 17 Developer Beta on Your iPad for Free - MacRumors