The latest iPads offer an excellent tablet experience with an astonishingly slim design. With every annual, major operating system update, the company further supercharges these glass slabs with new features and additions that redefine what this thin laptop replacement can do.

This makes the sneak-preview appealing to those who don't want to wait for the public, stable release. It is relatively easy to access the iPadOS beta experience, so you may be considering installing the beta iOS version (tap for instructions). With iPadOS 17 beta now available, you might wonder if it's worth getting in on the action.

Is installing the latest iPadOS beta worth the risk?

Unlike the Apple Watch, downgrading to a stable iPadOS build is relatively easy and doable at home. So, if you dislike the iPadOS beta experience, you can switch back to the stable version of the OS. So, you can at least try the beta out and decide if it's for you or not, assuming you know what you're doing. If this sounds confusing to you, it's smart to avoid beta OS builds altogether and stick to stable OS updates.

Additionally, if you use your iPad for work or studies, enrolling it in any beta program is not the greatest idea, since apps and core features may not work as intended. If your iPad is just a media consumption or entertainment device, then perhaps there's no harm in running iPadOS beta on it. Ultimately, the decision isn't permanent, and you could always turn off iOS beta updates if you change your mind after installing it.

iOS beta isn't for everyone

If you want a polished operating system with no stability issues at all, then you should definitely avoid the beta and just wait for the new features in the next stable build of the OS. Personally, I've been running iPadOS beta builds on my iPad since their release, and I've never encountered any deal-breaking bugs. Sometimes the battery life takes a hit or the user interface may have a glitch or two present, but nothing too extreme. You can also enroll in Apple's Developer Program for $99 per year if you want to try out the beta versions before public beta access.