Does it cost money to get the iOS beta?

[Jas00555]

So a friend of mine is talking a lot on twitter about how cool iOS 8 is. I asked him if he develops any apps and he said "no, I don't know how to do that". I was under the impression that you needed a developer account to get early access like that, and last time I checked, it costs $100 to be a developer, so..... Did my friend really just spend a month's worth of gas money on a new software update?

 

[iOS Gravity]

He got his UDID registered from another website for about $7 or he got a dev account. You don't really have to know how to develop apps in order to have a dev account.

 

[Jas00555]

He got his UDID registered from another website for about $7 or he got a dev account. You don't really have to know how to develop apps in order to have a dev account.

Oh, I get that. I have a developer account from Microsoft for my Windows Phone and I've never made an app that wasn't a simple, 10-minute RSS reader. Still, it's possible to be enrolled in the "preview" without spending a dime on Windows Phone, but I thought that you needed to buy a $100 developer account to get it.

 

[iOS Gravity]

Oh, I get that. I have a developer account from Microsoft for my Windows Phone and I've never made an app that wasn't a simple, 10-minute RSS reader. Still, it's possible to be enrolled in the "preview" without spending a dime on Windows Phone, but I thought that you needed to buy a $100 developer account to get it.

Those people that register the UDID for you have a dev account, and they sell you one of the slots on their account. They're making a profit since they can register 100 new UDID's per year.

 

[Jas00555]

Ok, that makes sense then. Thanks.

 

[HankAZ]

Those people that register the UDID for you have a dev account, and they sell you one of the slots on their account. They're making a profit since they can register 100 new UDID's per year.

And get their Developer account closed/cancelled by Apple if they get caught. Plus they are making the betas available to many who have no business running them, as well as the gear heads who just want to play. The real issue comes when they get in over their head, fear they’ve bricked their device and come here in their panicked state asking for help. Or they go to the App store and start trashing all the apps that aren’t yet compatible with a beta release.

Lots of “downside”, very little “upside”, if you ask me.