Here’s How Long the iOS 15 Beta Takes

The iOS 15 beta requires a large download and it could take a long time to install the software on your iPhone.

Apple’s iOS 15 beta is available right now if you’re enrolled in the company’s developer program or Apple’s free Beta Software Program.

The iOS 15 beta is packed with changes which makes a download extremely tempting. If you do decide to install the iOS 15 beta on your device, be prepared to spend time downloading, installing, and testing the software for issues.

If you haven’t signed up for the developer program or the Beta Software Program yet, you’ll need to spend some time doing that as well.

The iOS 15 beta requires a large download for all compatible iPhone models. It’s a 2GB+ file which means it could take awhile to download onto your iPhone.

We can’t tell you exactly how long the iOS 15 beta installation process will take because mileage will vary from person-to-person and device-to-device. The timing also depends on your familiarity with the beta process and your current version of iOS.

That being said, we can help you approximate how much time you’ll need to spend downloading and installing the iOS 15 beta on your iPhone.

If you’ve prepared, you might be able to complete the installation in 30 minutes or less. If you’re starting from scratch, it could take an hour or more.

Pre-Installation

If you’ve made the decision to install the iOS 15 beta on your iPhone, you’ll want to spend some time preparing yourself, and your device, for the installation.

If you’ve installed iOS beta software before, this probably won’t take a ton of time. If this will be your first time using iOS beta software, you’ll want to take your time.

We’ve put together a pre-installation guide that takes you through the steps we normally take before we install iOS beta software on our iPhones.

You’ll want to backup all of your data before you move your phone to the beta. Data loss issues are rare, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.

You’ll also want to dig into feedback from iOS 15 beta testers, find fixes for potential problems, and get familiar with the downgrade process.

Some of you will get this done in 30 minutes or so. Others will need an hour or more. Bottom line, don’t start the installation until you’re ready.

iOS 15 Beta Download

If you’re moving your iPhone from the latest version of iOS 14 to iOS 15 beta, your download will be several gigabytes. In some cases, it might be over 6GB.

If you’re running the latest version of iOS 14 and you’ve got a high-speed Wi-Fi connection at work or home, your download could take just a few minutes.

It took us a little over eight minutes to download the iOS 15 beta onto an iPhone 7.

iOS 15 Beta Installation

You should be able to get iOS 15 up and running on your device in about 10-15 minutes. It took around 10 minutes to install the beta on an iPhone 7.

If this is your first time installing iOS beta software, it could take longer. It’s worth noting that the public iOS 15 beta is a bit easier to install.

Once you join the beta program, you can find the iOS 15 beta firmware waiting for you in the “Software Update” section of your Settings app.

After you download it, you’ll want to tap install and it will automatically start installing on your iPhone, provided you’ve cleared out enough space for the installation.

Your device might reboot once or twice during the installation process. This is perfectly normal and shouldn’t have any impact on your installation or the beta’s performance.

For more on the iOS beta installation, take a look at our walkthrough.

Post-Installation

After you get the iOS 15 beta up and running on your iPhone, you might need to spend some time logging back into your apps and services.

You’ll also want to check on all of your important files and make sure everything is where it’s supposed to be. We also recommend using your core applications to ensure they’re working properly.

Apps, particularly third-party applications, sometimes run poorly on iOS beta software so you’ll want to ensure that your most important services are stable. If they aren’t, you might need to downgrade back to iOS 14.

You’ll also want keep an eye on your device’s performance. Battery life and connectivity (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, etc) sometimes act up on beta software.

Install to Help Improve Apple Improve iOS 15

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Trying new features before they are officially released is exciting, but that's just part of it. Using the iOS 15 beta will also help Apple squash issues before they reach millions of iPhone users around the world.  Your feedback about the iOS 15 beta's performance could help the company discover a nasty bug or a glitch ahead of the final release later this year.  If you're sick of dealing with issues or sick of hearing friends and family complain about problems, think about giving the iOS 15 beta a try.  If you decide to download the iOS 15 beta and find an issue on board, make sure you report it to Apple. This way, engineers can get to work on a permanent fix.

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