Daily Tip: How to update your iPhone or iPad
New to iPhone, iPod touch or iPad and wondering how to make sure you’re updated and running the latest version of iOS? No problem. Apple makes this easy and we’ll show you how after the break!
Updating your iPhone, iPod touch and iPad is as simple as plugin it into iTunes and following a few steps. It can take a few minutes and you do have to pay attention to a few important choices iTunes gives you, but we’re here to help explain it along the way.
Jailbreak warning: If you are Jailbroken and want to stay Jailbroken make sure you check TiPb.com/jailbreak to see if new version can still be jailbroken.
Ready? Here we go!
- Connect your iPhone or iPad to your computer with your USB dock cable (it came in the box with your device).
- When iTunes opens, your device will show up with a little icon in the left sidebar. Click on it.
- Sync your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad if you haven’t in a while. iTunes will take a backup so it can restore it after the update and you want that to be as recent as possible. The sync button is at the bottom right.
- In the main window, click ‘check for update’.
- If a software update is available, a box will pop up telling you about it.
- The download will start. They’re usually pretty big so it might take a few minutes. When it’s done, iTunes will prompt you to install it.
- The install will take a few minutes and your iPhone will reboot.
- Once the update is finished iTunes will ask if you want to restore from a previous backup or set up as a new device. Almost always restore from backup, you’ll save yourself a ton of work entering all your info and apps again.
- Your iPhone will restart again once the restore is finished, then sync with iTunes to get all your apps and media loaded back on. Again, this can take a while depending on how much stuff you have.
- That’s it, you’re done!
Hope this has helped out some new users! If you have any questions or extra tips please let us know in comments. If you need any extra expert help, check out the TiPb Forums!
Tips of the day will range from beginner-level 101 to advanced-level ninjary. If you already know this tip, keep the link handy as a quick way to help a friend. If you have a tip of your own you’d like to suggest, add them to the comments or send them in to dailytips@tipb.com. (If it’s especially awesome and previously unknown to us, we’ll even give ya a reward…)
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If you don’t know how to update an iPhone, or couldn’t figure it out, you don’t need to have a smartphone. There are plenty of not-smart phone choices for you
I guess you won’t like the thrilling sequel “How to Install an App” followed by “How to Update an App”
LMAO!!!
Like a blackberry, that’s not smart!
How to tie my shoe
Can’t wait for the scintillating sequel in this series…..How to brush your teeth properly.
GEORGIA IS SO HOTTTTTTT!!!
If a tip is too basic or easy for you, please just skip across to the next story. However, our mailbox gets filled with just these questions which is how we choose them for our tips.
Seriously, “how can I turn off my iPhone screen or do I just have to wait a minute for it to go off by itself” is a question that gets asked. Everyone is a new user at some point and not everyone is intuitively tech savvy.
Imagine your mom or sister or grandparent got a new iPhone. Do they deserve to be mocked for asking basic questions? No, they deserve to be sent a handy link from TiPb so you don’t get stuck doing tech support.
(Please remind others of this when you can, gets just as tiring having to address it each time :p )
Nah.. I ‘definitely’ mock my mom ‘and’ my sister when they ask me questions that are easy enough to figure out by themselves. They just don’t try hard enough. If my 2 year old son can figure it out, anyone should be able to. And if u cant…you need a flip phone…or maybe just a pager.. lmao!
I hate when that happens…
Don’t you hate people in this world who think they are smarter then everyone else and do not want anyone else to learn. Rene you should ban these “smart” people as TIPB is just below their level and get their kicks by putting own others.
These are the kind of tips that make you stick a remote in your ass like the angry World of Warcraft kid.
I hate when THAT happens!
How to eat
Lol how to eat… ok that made me laugh so hard I cried.
Yes the tip, is bloody basic but when your friend gets a new iPhone. You will love me cause you will just send them this link… and keep playing Call of Duty.
Georgia, where’s my “How to open a link” tutorial?! Then I could just send them a link to it and… never mind. People are generally stupid and not even Tipb can save humanity from Idiocracy.
Another thing to remember, your phone screen will go dark, a USB connector will then show, do not touch the phone. It will go through it’s sync, and depending on apps, pictures, and so on, could take a little time.
I’m one of those that needs these tips
Thanks guys!
How about informing people to put their phone in airplane mode before upgrading so calls and texts don’t mess up the upgrade?
Basic tip, yep, but doesn’t it miss one vital step??
“Transfer purchases”?
I have grappled for YEARS trying to figure out what iTunes is doing, but one thing I always need to do is sync, plus xfer purchases, before upgrading…
Am I mistaken?
Yes, no, maybe, you don’t know?
thanks, this was helpful! take care, Trina Banks
Maybe it is pretty easy but i couldn’t find the solution. How can i upgrade my iphone 4 from 4.1 to 4.2 if there is 4.3? Do i need to install 4.3 and degrade to 4.2? Thanks
It is usually best to just download the update first then go back and update your phone. It will take less time and you can use your phone in the meantime.
Anything more simple?!
a few minutes??? a few hours you mean, and then I get a Time-out error, no firewall and no antivirus sytem running?
I am having the same problem. Did you find a fix for that?
when i plug my phone into the computer it doesn’t let me do anything
It worked for me!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
Thank u so much this was very helpful.