How to Prepare Your iPhone and iPad for iOS 11
The wait is almost over as Apple will officially release iOS 11 to the general public tomorrow Tuesday, Sept 19. And to help prepare for the big day, here are a few tips you can do now to prepare an iPhone or iPad.
Is my device compatible?
Most importantly, you’ll need to see if your iPhone or iPad is compatible with the new software version. Here’s the complete list:
- iPhone X, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone SE, iPhone 5s..
- iPad Pro 12.9-inch (1st and 2nd generation), iPad Pro 10.5-inch, iPad Pro 9.7-inch, iPad Air 2, iPad Air, iPad 5th generation, iPad mini 4, iPad mini 3, iPad mini 2.
- iPod touch 6th generation.
Backup, backup, backup
You can back up through iCloud on an iPhone/iPad or through iTunes.
The best way to prepare any iOS device for a software update is to backup your iPhone or iPad. That can be done through iCloud or iTunes.
While doing an iCloud backup is usually the easiest, you might not have enough space. To check, head to Settings > [your name] > iCloud > iCloud Backup.
Another way to backup is through iTunes. Plug in your device and then select its icon from the upper-left corner. Scroll down and then select “Manually Back up and Restore.”
If you’d like to save account passwords, HomeKit data, and Health and Activity information, you’ll need to choose an encrypted backup and select a password to protect it. The encrypted backup process takes a significant amount of time but is a great way to ensure that everything on your device can be recovered.
But if you’re not interested in saving that information, just select back up.
Other steps you can take include updating all of your apps and deleting any apps you’re not using. That will help free up extra space on your iPhone or iPad.
Waiting is the hardest part
The software should be available around 10 a.m. PT.
You should be able to download iOS 11 starting at 10 a.m. PT through iTunes or your iOS device.
Definitely be patient as the rush of iPhone and iPad owners downloading the software could make the process abnormally slow.
And make sure to head back to AppAdvice as we’ll be offering a complete overview of the all the new features.