iOS 7 Beta Users Report Getting Locked Out Of Their iPhones

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Some developers and regular users alike who have installed the beta of iOS 7, Apple's latest version of its mobile operating system, are reporting via Twitter that their iPhones are deactivating.

Apple has never officially opened up the iOS 7 beta test to nondevelopers, who have had to use workarounds to install the software. Some may wonder if the company is now catching up with those who have downloaded it through alternative means. Many people on Twitter are reporting that their beta has been deactivated and are now having to downgrade to iOS 6.

Apple apparently caught up with all the non-developers using ios7 beta. I just got the boot! Now let's see if I remember how to restore.

— Chris Hamilton (@chammer36) August 29, 2013

 It seems like some developers might have been caught in the dragnet as well.

did anyone else's iOS7 phone just deactivate randomly? and now I can't reactivate it because the "activation server is temporarily unavail."

— Captain Eric Willis (@superic) August 29, 2013

 However, Willis told us that logging into his developer account and upgrading to the latest iOS 7 beta 6 fixed the issue.

Patience is Key  

See also: "How To Downgrade The iOS 7 Beta Back To iOS 6 The Easy Way"

 The official iOS 7 is expected arrive on September 10. The company could be expiring previous versions of the iOS 7 beta prior to its release. Users that have not updated to the latest versions of iOS 7 beta are seeing their phones deactivate.

iOS updates are normally sent "over the air"—that is, wirelessly—straight to a user's device. Users can also update iOS by connecting their phones to their computers and downloading the newest version through iTunes. It's not clear why Willis's phone didn't do that.

We contacted Apple for comment and have not yet heard back. We will update if and when we hear back from the company.

If you are a developer and have access to Apple's iOS Developer Center, the best thing you can do is to go straight and download iOS 7 beta 6 and reinstall the .ipsw file to your device. Follow these directions on how to download and install iOS 7 beta.

Adriana Lee contributed reporting.

Photo by aussiegall

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