iOS 8 Beta 4 Download Released for Developers, Use OTA to Get It Now

Apple has released the 4th beta version of iOS 8, containing bug fixes and improvements, to those registered with the iOS Developer Program. The new build is versioned as 12A4331d and runs on all iOS 8 compatible models of iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch hardware.

The easiest way to download and install iOS 8 beta 4 is through OTA update directly on any device that is currently running the prior version of iOS 8. The Over The Air update package ranges in size from 250MB to 350MB and requires about 1GB of space to install, with the total size depending on the iOS device being installed upon.

Go to Settings > Software Update to start the installation.

Accompanying release notes for iOS 8 beta 4 are brief with the full notes visible on the iOS Dev Center, which requires a developer account login to view.

Additionally, IPSW firmware files are available to download from Apple’s servers and are accessible through the iOS Dev Center. Users who are not yet on a beta build of iOS 8 would need to install through the IPSW method.

Beta software is intended for developers only and tends to be buggy and incomplete. Fortunately, it’s easy to downgrade from iOS 8 back to iOS 7 if you decide the experience is not yet optimal enough to run on a primary device.

The final public release date of iOS 8 will be sometime this fall, likely alongside new iPhone hardware.

Apple developers will also find a new Yosemite Developer Preview 4 release and iTunes 12 available to download from Updates on the Mac App Store.