Getting on an app’s beta version means access to upcoming features sooner than everyone else, but it could also spell trouble, as these versions of apps aren't necessarily stable. Crashes and lost data are both possibilities when using a beta. That said, WhatsApp beta users do get early access to features well before the others.
We've already talked about installing the WhatsApp beta on Android. Installing WhatsApp beta on an iPhone isn’t as straightforward, which is to say it probably isn’t for everyone. If you’re still determined to go down that route – you are still reading after all – there are some things you should be aware of:
- WhatsApp doesn’t make use of Apple’s beta testing programme, Testflight. Instead, you’ll need to use third-party software to sideload the beta, as detailed below.
- Since you’ll be sideloading the WhatsApp beta, it won’t auto-update when the next beta version becomes available. And it’s not linked to the App Store, which means you won’t get updates from there either - you will need to repeat the steps indicated below to download and install new versions of WhatsApp beta for iPhone.
- You’ll need iTunes. That may not seem like a warning, but it could well be a deal breaker for some.
- Be prepared to create an additional Apple ID, if you’re wary about giving access to your primary account (see steps below).
Now that we’ve established all that, here’s how you can download and install WhatsApp beta on iPhone:
- Uninstall WhatsApp on your iPhone, if you have it. Make sure you backup your WhatsApp data before you proceed, otherwise you will end up losing it completely.
- Connect your iPhone to a computer – Windows/ macOS – and launch iTunes on the computer.
- Make sure you tell the phone to the trust the computer, when prompted.
- Verify that the phone is showing up in iTunes, and then quit iTunes. Keep your iPhone plugged in.
- Download the WhatsApp beta from this link.
- Download and launch Cydia Impactor.
- Drag the WhatsApp IPA file from step 5 to the tiny Cydia Impactor window.
- You will be promoted to enter an Apple ID followed by the password. Use your existing one, or create a new one. We recommend the latter, just to be safe.
- Cydia Impactor will then install the WhatsApp beta file on your iPhone.
- If you try to launch the WhatsApp app beta on your phone right now, you will get an error message.
- To fix the error, go to your iPhone's Settings > General > Device Management.
- Tap 'Trust <your_Apple_ID>' where your_Apple_ID will be the account you used in step 8.
- Go back and launch WhatsApp.
If you follow that correctly, you should be running the latest beta version of WhatsApp, assuming you don’t encounter any errors. Note that syncing message logs and other data between beta and stable versions may not always be possible. If you want to go back to the general build, just delete the beta version, and install WhatsApp from the App Store.
How to Download WhatsApp Beta on Android
Did you have any trouble getting WhatsApp beta on your iPhone? Let us know in the comments below, and we will do our best to answer your queries.