Every year Apple releases updates to its operating systems. However, before launching the final versions, the company launches preliminary versions, in the testing phase, called beta. Although they can be installed, they are not intended for the general public, as they they are versions still unstable and with many errors. So in this post we are going to see why installing one of these versions can be dangerous.
The betas are focused on the solution of errors
Although a beta and a final version are the same operating system, the truth is that the focus and uses of each one are completely different. While a final version of iOS, for the general public, is designed to have the best possible performance, without errors, and so that we can enjoy all the new features, the beta versions are quite the opposite.
A beta version is a preliminary phase. And it is not only a term present in Apple systems, but in practically the entire field of software. Being versions in a very early phase, these are not optimized, they are full of errors and instability. And if we want to have optimal performance, and enjoy everything new, the truth is that it is a trial and error trial.
If you install a beta on your primary iPhone
Until a few years ago, iOS betas were focused exclusively on developers. To download a beta officially it was necessary, yes or yes, to have an Apple developer payment account. However, now there are public betas. Although they are still pre-release versions, they are more polished and not as buggy. However, the danger comes in two ways:
- If we are not developers, either, we do not have a very deep knowledge of how iOS works.
- If we only have an iPhone, as the only main phone.
Having only one iPhone, and installing a beta on it, carries risks. To begin with, we expose ourselves to some applications not working correctly until the final version of the system comes out. Many are not optimized for such early phases of the system, and this can cause the iPhone that used to be fluid before, now it takes much longer to execute the same action.
In addition to crashing apps, all the general performance of the iPhone can be affected. Buttons that do not respond, commands that are not executed, bugs in native applications, and so on. If we want our iPhone to be a safe tool with which to carry out day-to-day tasks, having a beta installed makes it a true test laboratory. Because, in the end, the betas are tests to detect errors, and then the final system comes out as best as possible.
But the iPhone software is not the only one that is going to have a bad time. There is also all the hardware part. An operating system in an early phase, which is not optimized and which makes everything not work as it should, can end up causing overheating in the phone. For starters, the iPhone will be running more tasks to process the same thing, so it will end up consuming power. This can directly affect the batterycausing it to be consumed much faster, which will make its decay time less.