iOS 12 and tvOS 12, which were demonstrated at WWDC and immediately rolled out in developer beta versions, have now been made available as public betas. Anyone can now sign up for the programme and install iOS 12 on a compatible iPhone, iPad or iPod touch, and tvOS 12 on a compatible Apple TV.

Both OS updates bring a raft of new features, but readers should be warned that betas are unfinished pre-release software and may contain bugs. Most of these will have been removed by the time iOS 12 and tvOS 12 officially launch in the autumn.

When will Apple release public betas of macOS Mojave and watchOS 5?

We expected Apple to roll out the public beta of macOS Mojave on the same day but at time of writing the site still says “coming soon”. So for the time being this is limited to software makers registered with Apple’s developer programme.

watchOS 5, Apple’s other new operating system, is also just for developers but it’s likely to stay that way until the official launch. Apple has never previously offered a public beta for watchOS.

How to install the public betas

It’s reasonably straightforward to install the public betas of iOS 12 and tvOS 12. You just need to sign up for the programme first.

Here’s how to install the iOS 12 beta. (You should first make sure your iPad or iPhone is compatible with iOS 12.) If you change your mind, you’ll need out article showing how to downgrade to iOS 11.

And here’s how to install the tvOS 12 beta.

Until the public beta of macOS Mojave appears, you can still install the developer beta. Our Mojave beta installation guide covers both versions.