Where and How to Download the Xcode 12 Beta?
In my previous post, I talked about generating iOS certificates outside Xcode, but generating the certificate is just the first step in getting your iOS apps built, signed and distributed as you will need Xcode or an online mobile CI/CD platform to build your iOS apps.
And there may be a time where you need access to the beta release of Xcode.
In this article, I will be talking about two different ways to access the Xcode 12 beta:
- With an Apple Developer Account
- Without an Apple Developer Account (or if you don’t have space to install Xcode 12)
One of the most heated questions in June will be how to download the Xcode beta to build apps for the iOS beta to be announced in the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference 2020 (WWDC 2020), which is an online conference.
Xcode 12, macOS Big Sur and iOS 14 beta were made available shortly after WWDC 2020 and iOS development enthusiasts will be looking for sources to download Xcode 12 beta.
Option 1: How to download Xcode beta from the Apple Developer Portal
If you are a registered Apple developer, downloading the Xcode beta is easy since you will have access to the Xcode beta releases through the Apple Developer Program. You will be able to download iOS14 beta as well.
- Go to https://developer.apple.com/download
- When prompted, login with your Apple credentials that has an active Apple Developer membership
- Under “Operating Systems” tab, you will see macOS Big Sur beta and iOS 14 beta. Just install their profile files to your devices and the rest will be handled within the OS. (You will see a new update in the Software Update section.)
For Xcode downloads, there is a separate tab called “Applications” and it is somehow easy to miss it.
- Under the “Applications” tab, you will see the Xcode 12 beta. Just press download to download the installer as a .Xip file. (It’s a huge download.)
- The following question is how to install Xcode 12 beta and it’s as easy as downloading.
- Once the download is complete, just launch the downloaded file to start installation.
And after some time, Xcode 12 beta may also be available on the Mac App Store, so if you are not a registered Apple Developer, it is advised to wait for the public beta release. Generally, downloading the Xcode beta from unofficial sources of from so called direct download links is not recommended for the potential security threats.
Be that as it may, on the off chance that you are not utilizing macOS, you may need to look for alternative solutions to get your app builds compatible with iOS 14 in the Xcode 12 beta. The first releases are highly likely to be exclusive to Apple Developers, so if you are not a registered developer or if you are using other operating systems such as Windows or Linux, you will need some alternatives.
Yet still, there may be other reasons why you wouldn’t want to install Xcode beta such as avoiding installing a beta product to your production build environment.
Then the question becomes from how to download Xcode beta to what is the alternative to Xcode beta.
Option 2: How to get access to Xcode 12 Beta without an Apple Developer Membership
For this purpose, you can use cloud build tools like Appcircle which allows you to use different Xcode versions. Such cloud-based mobile CI/CD tools like Appcircle provides the means to select a specific Xcode version to build your binary. (It doesn’t require a Mac or an Apple Developer Program membership and in a way, you can use Xcode 12 beta on Windows or Linux.)
It is expected that Xcode 12 beta will be one of those selectable versions in Appcircle once it is released.
Without downloading anything, you can just select the Xcode beta and your app will be built with the latest Xcode.
Using a mobile CI/CD tool enables you to focus on the development and not worry about the Xcode version differences and Xcode beta downloads.
This is especially valuable if you are using a cross-platform framework to develop your apps where you are required to work with a specific Xcode version or where you don’t have a Mac. Using a tool like Appcircle makes a mobile developer’s life easier whether it is about iOS certificate management or Xcode beta access.
