iOS 16.4 Will Let You Specify an Apple ID to Use for Beta Access

by

With the iOS 16.4 and iPadOS 16.4 updates, Apple is changing the way that developer and public beta opt-ins work. Going forward, an Apple ID associated with a developer or public beta account is required, and with today's iOS 16.4 beta, you can use two different Apple IDs for access.

separate apple id beta updates
The prior betas made it clear that users would be required to sign in to a developer account or opt in to the public beta to access a developer beta or a public beta, respectively, but there was no option for individuals who have separate Apple IDs for their personal use and for their beta use. iOS 16.4 beta 3 adds an ‌Apple ID‌ field that can be tapped to sign in to a separate ‌Apple ID‌ to account for this situation.

You can sign in with a different Apple ID that is enrolled in the Apple Beta Software Program or Apple Developer Program.

When you tap on the ‌Apple ID‌ button under Settings > General > Software Update, Apple allows you to enter a separate ‌Apple ID‌ for downloading the beta. That function lets you download betas as normal through a developer or public beta ‌Apple ID‌, while using a standard ‌Apple ID‌ for all other iPhone functions.

This change to how beta updates are downloaded will primarily impact people who use Developer Center profiles to install betas that they would not normally have access to. There will be no mechanism for installing a beta from a profile going forward, and each person running the developer beta will need to have access to a developer account.

The public beta is available to anyone who chooses to sign up, but public betas trail developer betas, so non-developers who want developer beta access currently use developer profiles that are available to anyone with the link.

This crackdown on beta access will impact betas after iOS 16.4, and it will mainly be noticeable during the iOS 17 beta testing period that is set to happen later this year.

While the change does prevent non-developers from installing betas through a developer profile, it also simplifies the beta update process. Users can choose to enable the developer or public beta they have access to directly from an ‌iPhone‌ or iPad without having to go through extra steps to install a profile.

Related Forum: iOS 16

Popular Stories

Apple Logo Zoomed

Tim Cook Teases Plans for Apple's Upcoming 50th Anniversary

Thursday February 5, 2026 12:54 pm PST by
Apple turns 50 this year, and its CEO Tim Cook has promised to celebrate the milestone. The big day falls on April 1, 2026. "I've been unusually reflective lately about Apple because we have been working on what do we do to mark this moment," Cook told employees today, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. "When you really stop and pause and think about the last 50 years, it makes your heart ...
Read Full Article • 148 comments
wwdc sans text feature

Apple Rumored to Announce New Product on February 19

Thursday February 5, 2026 12:22 pm PST by
Apple plans to announce the iPhone 17e on Thursday, February 19, according to Macwelt, the German equivalent of Macworld. The report, citing industry sources, is available in English on Macworld. Apple announced the iPhone 16e on Wednesday, February 19 last year, so the iPhone 17e would be unveiled exactly one year later if this rumor is accurate. It is quite uncommon for Apple to unveil...
Read Full Article
Finder Siri Feature

Why Apple's iOS 26.4 Siri Upgrade Will Be Bigger Than Originally Promised

Friday February 6, 2026 3:06 pm PST by
In the iOS 26.4 update that's coming this spring, Apple will introduce a new version of Siri that's going to overhaul how we interact with the personal assistant and what it's able to do. The iOS 26.4 version of Siri won't work like ChatGPT or Claude, but it will rely on large language models (LLMs) and has been updated from the ground up. Upgraded Architecture The next-generation...
Read Full Article • 154 comments
iOS 26

iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Tuesday February 3, 2026 7:47 am PST by
While the iOS 26.3 Release Candidate is now available ahead of a public release, the first iOS 26.4 beta is likely still at least a week away. Following beta testing, iOS 26.4 will likely be released to the general public in March or April. Below, we have recapped known or rumored iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 features so far. iOS 26.3 iPhone to Android Transfer Tool iOS 26.3 makes it easier...
Read Full Article • 37 comments
iphone 17 pro dark blue 1

iPhone 18 Pro Max Rumored to Deliver Next-Level Battery Life

Friday February 6, 2026 5:14 am PST by
The iPhone 18 Pro Max will feature a bigger battery for continued best-in-class battery life, according to a known Weibo leaker. Citing supply chain information, the Weibo user known as "Digital Chat Station" said that the iPhone 18 Pro Max will have a battery capacity of 5,100 to 5,200 mAh. Combined with the efficiency improvements of the A20 Pro chip, made with TSMC's 2nm process, the...
Read Full Article • 107 comments

Top Rated Comments

roar08 Avatar
roar08
38 months ago
For those of us that have had Apple IDs for so long, it'd be great if they finally let us merge them — at least functionally — so we wouldn't be penalized for being long-term platform users and unable to benefit from features like 4TB of iCloud storage when subscribing to the top tiers of Apple One while paying for 2TB of storage.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
zorinlynx Avatar
zorinlynx
38 months ago

Reinventing the wheel. Honestly this is so stupid. The profiles were completely fine for this and the use of UUID to limit access to devices was also perfectly fine for restricting access.

Instead of all this running in circles recreating a process that was already effective. They could have just monitored their developer accounts more closely to check for abuse. Or god forbid, limit access and improve the device registration process.

This whole separate developer account bs is honestly something many of us have been trying to get away from unless we are building specific test scenarios against iCloud functions.

The amount of waste here just irritates me.
I suspect non-devs installing betas has resulted in a support burden for Apple and they just don't want to deal with it.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
atomic.flip Avatar
atomic.flip
38 months ago
Reinventing the wheel. Honestly this is so stupid. The profiles were completely fine for this and the use of UUID to limit access to devices was also perfectly fine for restricting access.

Instead of all this running in circles recreating a process that was already effective. They could have just monitored their developer accounts more closely to check for abuse. Or god forbid, limit access and improve the device registration process.

This whole separate developer account bs is honestly something many of us have been trying to get away from unless we are building specific test scenarios against iCloud functions.

The amount of waste here just irritates me.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
theotherphil Avatar
theotherphil
38 months ago

Was the "non-devs installing developer betas" really THAT big of a deal that Apple dedicated money and manpower to it? ?

They could have done something more important, like maybe work on more memojis! :p
I think it was more the fact that devs have to agree to NDA's which include not sharing videos or pictures of unreleased software.

The randoms downloading dev betas using dodgy profiles are not contracted at all.

This will likely cut down on the "me first" YouTube videos of iOS before final release. Apple doesn't want any bad press on features in testing which may or may not make it to the final release.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
tdar Avatar
tdar
38 months ago
This was my original complaint about this process. I have a special email address for my developers account and I need a place to add it. Apple has now made this work exactly like I wanted it to work. Thanks Apple.

Sorry non developers . We pay for our access to the beta and you should not be able to get it for free.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Aston441 Avatar
Aston441
38 months ago

Was the "non-devs installing developer betas" really THAT big of a deal that Apple dedicated money and manpower to it? ?

They could have done something more important, like maybe work on more memojis! :p
How about they try and imprison the idiots that put three dots at the top of my iPad.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments