The first iOS 14 public beta is out now

If you're experiencing Thursday doldrums, Apple just gave us one tiny reason to get excited.

The first iOS 14 public beta is out. Yes, that means anyone reading this article who has a compatible iPhone can download an early, unfinished version of the next big iOS update to take a peek at some of its new features. They won't be optimized, but, hey, early access is better than no access.

We've already published a detailed tutorial on how to install an iOS beta onto your iPhone in anticipation of this, so head on over to that if you want the full rundown. However, the Cliff's Notes version starts with backing up your iPhone on a Mac or PC, and then going to the Apple beta webpage on your iPhone's Safari browser and following the fairly straightforward on-screen instructions.

You'll have to install a beta profile, which is likely the only part of this process that may be unfamiliar to iPhone users. Follow the instructions to download a profile from Safari and then open your Settings app to find a "Profile Downloaded" notification near the top of the menu. If all went well, you'll see this after tapping on that:

Credit: screenshot / apple

Once that's installed, head to the software update part of the Settings app under the "General" heading to download the iOS 14 beta. You should have the ability to actually download the update from there.

Good luck! Hopefully nothing about the beta breaks your phone. Like we said, you should definitely make a backup just in case.

Apple announced iOS 14 back in June at WWDC, outlining its biggest new features along the way. You'll be able to add widgets for things like weather to the home screen alongside apps; take advantage of picture-in-picture support for videos; and even change your default browser and email apps. It's possible and even likely that the beta won't feature all of those features, or they won't all work correctly. But that's part of the fun.