Apple has announced that developer beta versions of iOS 17, watchOS 10, and macOS Sonoma are now available to all users for free and can be installed without joining the Apple Developer Program. This initiative breaks years of practice in which only paid developers could access developer beta versions, greatly increasing user participation.
Apple officially announced the change on its developer website and compared the different permissions for the new free and paid members. With an Apple ID, users can access Xcode, software downloads, documentation, sample code, forums and feedback assistants, as well as test their apps on their devices. If a user does not have an Apple ID, they can also create one now. If they want to publish an app, they will need to join the Apple Developer Program.
The iOS 17 Developer Beta is currently available for all users in Settings > General > Software Update. Developer betas for systems such as watchOS 10 and macOS Sonoma can also be found and downloaded in the Settings of devices such as Apple Watch, MacBook Air, and Apple TV.
It should be noted that the developer beta itself may have some bugs and performance issues and is not suitable for installation on primary devices.
The difference between the paid Apple Developer Program and the free:
