Apple Cracks Down on Websites Sharing iOS 16 Developer Beta

by

Two websites that provided download links for pre-release Apple software like iOS 16, iPadOS 16, macOS Ventura, and tvOS 16 have shut down in recent weeks, including BetaProfiles.com and IPSW.dev. Both websites are no longer accessible.

iOS Tidbits Feature
In a tweet, BetaProfiles.com said it shut down to avoid a "legal battle with Apple," but it's not clear if the website (or IPSW.dev) actually received any threat of legal action from Apple or if the websites shut down on a precautionary basis. Apple, BetaProfiles.com, and IPSW.dev did not immediately respond to requests for comment.


In addition, lawyers representing Apple at Kilpatrick Townsend Stockton LLP allegedly provided Twitter with a Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) takedown notice related to over a dozen tweets containing links to websites like IPSW.dev. The alleged notice claimed that the tweets infringed on Apple's proprietary beta software. All of the tweets listed are no longer visible "in response to a report from the copyright holder."

IPSW.dev provided users with access to IPSW files for the iOS 16 developer beta and other pre-release Apple software, with download links via Apple's servers, file sharing website WeTransfer, and torrents, while BetaProfiles.com provided links to both beta profiles and IPSW files. BetaProfiles.com said users must be enrolled in Apple's Developer Program in order to download the profiles, but users could avoid this warning.

Apple's developer betas are only intended for members of Apple's Developer Program, which costs $99 per year in the United States, and it appears that Apple is attempting to uphold this policy by cracking down on websites like BetaProfiles.com and IPSW.dev.

Those interested in trying out Apple's betas for free can sign up for Apple's public beta program.

Update: When reached for comment, BetaProfiles.com said it received a letter from lawyers representing Apple and shut down the website to avoid potential litigation.

Related Forum: iOS 16

Top Rated Comments

theotherphil Avatar
theotherphil
22 months ago

Apple should just offer free access to dev betas so there’s no need for these.

the developer program should be only needed if you want to submit an app to the store.
It’s called a public beta.
Score: 36 Votes (Like | Disagree)
KrisLord Avatar
KrisLord
22 months ago
Apple should just offer free access to dev betas so there’s no need for these.

the developer program should be only needed if you want to submit an app to the store.
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kc9hzn Avatar
kc9hzn
22 months ago
I understood the appeal of sites like these back before there was an Apple Watch public beta and even a HomePod public data, but now that every current Apple device gets a public beta, you might as well just join the public beta officially. It’s better than trusting the beta profiles that were probably safe but you had no way of actually confirming.
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
pdaholic Avatar
pdaholic
22 months ago
Apple was losing out on that $100 per year to enroll in the developer beta program. Had to shut these sites down, times are tough for a trillion dollar company.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kc9hzn Avatar
kc9hzn
22 months ago

Massive step backwards from Apple. Where there is a will there is a way even back in the day when you had to register your phone to a dev account to activate the beta

Those saying there’s a public beta that would be well and good but PB1 usually comes out after the first couple of dev betas and once public betas start coming out they come out days behind the dev betas

If people want to run betas they will. I’ve been beta testing iOS since iOS 4. My iPhone is practically never on a general release. I’ve reported so many bugs to apple prior to general release. Maybe apple should make access to dev betas open to more people or at least those who provide them bug reports through the feedback app
And there’s a good reason why the public has to wait a few weeks after the devs get it. You don’t want the general public mucking around with an alpha build or early beta build in case there are unexpected issues (or even known issues) with them. Apple doesn’t do external alphas, so having devs take the first crack at the betas means that developers who likely already know how to fill out a bug report (and who can actually test what the bug is) are the first external folks to get access. This is just software engineering best practices.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
macduke Avatar
macduke
22 months ago
Apple, we’re just going to find another way. We always have, we always will.

Sure they have public betas now, but those come out later, and updates to them come out later too.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments

Popular Stories

maxresdefault

Apple Announces 'Let Loose' Event on May 7 Amid Rumors of New iPads

Tuesday April 23, 2024 7:11 am PDT by
Apple has announced it will be holding a special event on Tuesday, May 7 at 7 a.m. Pacific Time (10 a.m. Eastern Time), with a live stream to be available on Apple.com and on YouTube as usual. The event invitation has a tagline of "Let Loose" and shows an artistic render of an Apple Pencil, suggesting that iPads will be a focus of the event. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more ...
Read Full Article • 277 comments
Apple Silicon AI Optimized Feature Siri

Apple Releases Open Source AI Models That Run On-Device

Wednesday April 24, 2024 3:39 pm PDT by
Apple today released several open source large language models (LLMs) that are designed to run on-device rather than through cloud servers. Called OpenELM (Open-source Efficient Language Models), the LLMs are available on the Hugging Face Hub, a community for sharing AI code. As outlined in a white paper [PDF], there are eight total OpenELM models, four of which were pre-trained using the...
Read Full Article • 83 comments
Apple Vision Pro Dual Loop Band Orange Feature 2

Apple Cuts Vision Pro Shipments as Demand Falls 'Sharply Beyond Expectations'

Tuesday April 23, 2024 9:44 am PDT by
Apple has dropped the number of Vision Pro units that it plans to ship in 2024, going from an expected 700 to 800k units to just 400k to 450k units, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Orders have been scaled back before the Vision Pro has launched in markets outside of the United States, which Kuo says is a sign that demand in the U.S. has "fallen sharply beyond expectations." As a...
Read Full Article • 416 comments
iOS 18 Siri Integrated Feature

iOS 18 Rumored to Add These 10 New Features to Your iPhone

Wednesday April 24, 2024 2:05 pm PDT by
Apple is set to unveil iOS 18 during its WWDC keynote on June 10, so the software update is a little over six weeks away from being announced. Below, we recap rumored features and changes planned for the iPhone with iOS 18. iOS 18 will reportedly be the "biggest" update in the iPhone's history, with new ChatGPT-inspired generative AI features, a more customizable Home Screen, and much more....
Read Full Article
iPad And Calculator App Feature

Apple Finally Plans to Release a Calculator App for iPad Later This Year

Tuesday April 23, 2024 9:08 am PDT by
Apple is finally planning a Calculator app for the iPad, over 14 years after launching the device, according to a source familiar with the matter. iPadOS 18 will include a built-in Calculator app for all iPad models that are compatible with the software update, which is expected to be unveiled during the opening keynote of Apple's annual developers conference WWDC on June 10. AppleInsider...
Read Full Article • 222 comments