iOS 17.5 Beta: 3 Reasons to Install & 2 Reasons Not To

Apple’s pushed a new iOS 17.5 update into beta testing. There are some great reasons to try the software on an iPhone right now, but a lot of iPhone users should avoid it.

Apple hasn’t confirmed a release date for iOS 17.5, but iPhone owners should expect it to stay in testing through April.

If you’re experiencing issues on iOS 17.4, or you’re just interested in trying new iOS software before it’s released to the public, you might be tempted to download the iOS 17.5 beta.

If you’re thinking about a move to the iOS 17.5 beta, allow us to take you through the best reasons to try it and the best reasons to skip it and stay put on iOS 17.4 or whatever version of iOS your iPhone is currently running.

Help Apple Improve iOS 17.5

Downloading and using the iOS 17.5 beta on your iPhone will help Apple weed out bugs and performance issues and improve the final product.

If you’re tired of dealing with software issues and/or you’re tired of hearing friends and family complain about problems impacting their iPhones, give the beta a spin.

If you do download the beta, make sure you report any issues you see to Apple. This way, the company’s engineers can get to work on fixes.

Install to Try New Features

Want to try iOS 17.5’s features before they’re released to the public? Download the beta.

Testers are digging through the first version of the beta and here are the changes they’ve discovered thus far:

• Support for downloading apps from developer websites in the EU.
• Anti-stalking features.
• A new addicting game called Quartiles.

Apple may add, or subtract, from iOS 17.5’s change log as testing progresses so keep an eye out for changes when it releases a new version of the beta.

Install If You Work in IT

This almost goes without saying, but if you work in the IT industry, you should probably install the iOS 17.5 beta in order to test crucial apps and/or services.

If you’re an IT professional who supports end users at your company, you should install the iOS 17.5 beta on a device and use it throughout the beta process.

Testing the iOS 17.5 beta will help you prepare for support calls and trouble tickets from co-workers and clients who upgrade their iPhones to the software.

Don’t Install on a Primary Device

If you only have one iPhone in your possession, you should probably stay put on stable iOS software.

The iOS 17.5 beta is unfinished software and you may run into bugs, performance issues, and app compatibility problems.

The apps you use the most might crash, or freeze, on a regular basis which isn’t ideal if you like to play games, watch shows, or get work done on your device.

In its iOS Beta FAQ Apple “strongly” recommends installing iOS beta software on secondary devices.

If you’ve got a secondary iPhone laying around, use that instead. If you don’t, skip the beta for now.

Don’t Install If You Can’t Stand Bugs

The current list of iOS 17.5 beta problems includes abnormal battery drain, issues with Wi-Fi, cellular data issues, UI lag, syncing problems, and various other problems.

Apple will improve the software in future beta releases, but these updates might have problems of their own. You might be able to fix some issues on your own, but others may require a fix from Apple in a future release.

If you run into trouble on the beta, you can downgrade back to stable software, but only to iOS 17.4.1. The downgrade path to other versions of iOS is closed.

So if you’re having a good experience on iOS 17.4 or an older version of iOS 17, keep that in mind. Once you move up to iOS 17.5 beta, you won’t be able to go back.