Following June’s WWDC 2022, Apple released the first developer beta of iOS 16 and other software updates to Apple Developer Program members. While users interested in the public beta had to wait until July to try iOS 16, some websites have already shared unofficial ways to install the latest betas. Now it seems that Apple is shutting down these sites.
Apple cracks down on unofficial iOS 16 beta websites
BetaProfiles.com has been one of the most popular websites when it comes to sharing beta versions of Apple software that was originally released to developers. Wednesday BetaProfiles shared a message on his Twitter profile stating that the website would be “closed soon” to avoid a “legal battle with Apple”, suggesting that the company had threatened to file a lawsuit against it.
At the time of this article’s publication, BetaProfiles.com is no longer available. Another similar website (IPSW.dev) has also been taken down in the last few hours. However, it is not clear if this other website was taken down for the same reason or if the creators of IPSW.dev were just afraid of getting a warning from Apple.
A third website called Apple Firmwares, which also publishes profiles for installing Apple’s beta software, still exists online. According to MacRumors, the lawyers representing Apple at Kilpatrick Townsend Stockton LLP allegedly asked twitter remove tweets that contain links to these websites.
Apple proprietary software infringement
Of course, these actions did not come as a surprise, since the beta software provided to developers is the property of Apple and is subject to the terms that persons who have access to it may not share such software with others. It’s worth noting that in order to join the Apple Developer Program, developers must pay a fee of $99 per year.
In the early days of the iPhone, access to Apple’s beta software was much more limited than it is now. For example, there were no over-the-air (OTA) updates, so developers had to go to the Apple Developer website to download new firmware. Furthermore, beta software could only run on devices whose UDID was registered with a valid Apple Developer account.
With iOS 9, Apple began releasing public beta versions of the software to all interested users. This, coupled with OTA updates, caused Apple to relax the requirement to install beta software intended for developers. Websites like the ones that were shut down were used to share OTA profiles and IPSW files so that any user could install Apple’s developer-exclusive beta software.
Currently, the only difference between developer beta software and public beta software is that updates typically become available to users enrolled in Apple’s beta testing program for a few days longer. This is because Apple wants to make sure the updates are free from major bugs before making them available to less experienced users.
If you want to install beta software from Apple on your devices, the best way to do this is to sign up for Apple’s beta testing program.
Similar
The post Apple Shuts Down Sites Hosting iOS 16 Developer Beta appeared first on Gamingsym.