User guides
Michael Grothaus
14:20, 3 Jun 2014
Can't wait to get iOS 8 on your Apple device? We've got you covered
At the WWDC keynote yesterday Apple introduced the next version of its mobile operating system, iOS 8. As usual it’s packed with new features including Extensibility, third-party widgets, Touch ID support for apps, custom keyboards, HealthKit, iCloud Drive, and massive Mail and Messages improvements, among a couple hundred other new features.
The bad news is that iOS 8 isn’t shipping until the fall. However, registered developers can get their hands on the first beta now. What’s that? You’re not a registered dev but you still want to install iOS 8 now? Here’s how you can do just that. But first...
A Word of Warning: Beta is Beta
Taking the round about way described below for getting iOS 8 on your iPhone has its risks. First, Apple could theoretically shut down the developer account you bought the beta slot from and cancel all UDID’s associate with that account. This means your device could be stuck on the beta you installed--unable to update to future betas--until you can finally update to the public release this fall.
Why would that be a bad thing? Well, the software is a beta for a reason. Betas are naturally full of bugs. That’s WHY they’re betas. The point of beta testing is to find the bugs and squash them. And betas can have some nasty bugs that can potentially cripple your iPhone. And Apple’s warranties do not cover beta software--even if you’re a legitimate developer. That means if a beta bricks your iPhone, you’re out of luck. Time to buy a new one.
So proceed down this road with extreme caution and only travel it if you are completely fine with something going disastrously wrong with your iPhone.
Option 1
Sign up for an Apple Developer Account. It costs US$100 a year and entitles you to download all the betas of any Apple software throughout the year. This includes iOS 8.0 and OS X 10.10 Yosemite. You’ll also have access to subsequent betas like iOS 8.1 and OS X 10.10.1!
You don't need to actually know how to code in order to get a developer account, either. If all you want to do is download the betas, that’s all you need to do. And every developer account allows you to install the iOS beta on 100 devices including iPhones, iPads, and iPod touches.
But if you’re not a developer, $100 a year might seem a bit pricey to get the latest iOS on your iPhone considering it will be free to all this fall. In that case, may I recommend “Option 2”?
Option 2
Option 2, strictly speaking, isn’t illegal, but it is frowned upon by Apple. It involves registered “developers” selling their 100 slots per developer account to users like you who want to put iOS 8 on their device before it’s publicly released.
The way it works is certain enterprising individuals will sign up for dozens of Apple Developer Accounts. With each ADC account they get 100 slots to put iOS on those devices--at a total cost to them of only $100. What these people then do is sell those slots to people like you for between $8-15 each. This nets the seller $800-$1500 for every $100 they spend on an ADC account.
Now while this is not illegal, if Apple catches a “developer” doing this they could revoke that developer’s account forever. This means that developer could no longer write apps for iOS. Since no legitimate developer wants to take that risk, you’ll never see most devs selling their slots. That’s why “companies” like iModZones exist. The person behind it (and similar websites) will sell their iOS beta slots to individuals like you. All they need is your money and your device’s UDID.
So want to go down this road? Here’s how:
1. Get your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch’s UDID. UDID stands for “Unique Device Identifier” and is basically a unique code that identifies your iOS device. To find out your device’s UDID you can do one of the following:
Connect your iPhone to your computer, open iTunes, go to the iPhone page, and under the Summary tab click where it shows the serial number until the UDID is displayed. To copy the UDID just go to Edit>Copy UDID.
Alternately you can install a UDID app on your device that will tell you its UDID with a few taps.
2. Once you have your device’s UDID go to a website that sells beta slots. You can just Google something like “buy ios 8 udid” and you’ll find tons of sites selling slots.
3. On these sites you’ll need to register, pay them, and then give them your UDID. The site will then in turn register your device’s UDID as one of their developer devices. This can take anywhere from 4 hours to a few days.
4. Once your device is registered to their developer account, the site will contact you and send you a link where you can download the iOS 8 beta.
5. When you have downloaded the iOS 8 beta (it will be in a file format with the extension .ipsw), connect your device to iTunes.
6. Go to the iPhone page in iTunes, and under the Summary tab find the Restore button. DON’T CLICK IT YET.
7. On a Mac hold the alt/option key and then click Restore. On a PC hold the shift key and then click Restore.
8. A window will open asking you to select the .ipsw file you downloaded. Select it and click OK. The installation will begin and once it is finished your iPhone will restart with iOS 8. Enjoy!
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