iOS 13: iPhone and iPad users warned against installing new Apple software even though it is available to download

‘They are buggy, they are crash-prone, and they do lose data’

iPhone and iPad users can get the latest software update before it is released to the public – but probably shouldn’t.

In recent times, Apple has offered its new iOS updates through public betas that allow users to test them out before other people.

Previous years’ releases – especially last year’s iOS 12 beta – have been reliable enough to install them almost straight away. But this year they are still so unreliable that users have been urged not to install them if they have an important reason to.

Those bugs are still present more than a month after the software was announced, and after a number of updates have been released by Apple.

What’s more, Apple has made a series of fundamental changes to the way the iPhone software works that means the bug could have disastrous consequences. It has altered the way that data is synced across the internet, for instance – meaning that it warns that information could disappear from your phone.

Apple has always been clear that the new betas are far from reliable. Ever since it released the first developer beta, it included a note making clear that they should only be installed if required, warning of the dangers that could come with rushing to install early versions.

“Important Note for Thrill Seekers: If you’re interested in living on the edge and trying out the great new features in iOS 13, we strongly advise waiting for the many bug fixes and refinements coming to the public beta later this month,” the message read.

It still warns users that data could disappear, and that there could be significant issues with the updates.

Now developers have spoken out after receiving requests from users to update their apps to ensure they work with the new software. The makers of writing app Ulysses said in a blog post that it would not be doing so because the updates were still unreliable enough that they could not be sure the updates would work properly.

“From our experience with previous OS updates, we feel safe to say that these betas are extraordinarily unstable and buggy,” Ulysses developers wrote in a blog post. ”After all, beta versions of operating systems are still just beta versions – they are buggy, they are crash-prone, and they do lose data. Whereas in recent years, it was pretty safe to install preview versions early on, this year that’s definitely not the case.”

They made clear that their primary issue with the new betas was not the general performance but the “great, great” changes that have been made to iCloud, which syncs data across devices. Since those changes are also part of the beta and are being hit by bugs, it leaves developers unable to guarantee that it will work without problems – and since it is run by Apple, there is not necessarily anything the developers can do to bring them back.

You can read about the changes coming in iOS 13 here.