How to download and install iOS 14
Apple will release iOS14 today, Wednesday 16th September, which brings a whole host of new features, performance improvements and visual changes. We previewed what was new in iOS 14 back in June here.
iOS 14 is available for the following devices. If your device isn’t listed here you won’t be able to download and install iOS 14, but don’t worry, you will still receive security updates on your device if it only supports iOS 12.
| iPhone 11 | iPhone 7 |
| iPhone 11 Pro | iPhone 7 Plus |
| iPhone 11 Pro Max | iPhone 6s |
| iPhone XS | iPhone 6s Plus |
| iPhone XS Max | iPhone SE (1st generation) |
| iPhone XR | iPhone SE (2nd generation) |
| iPhone X | iPod touch (7th generation) |
| iPhone 8 | |
| iPhone 8 Plus |
Before you download and install iOS 14
There’s a couple of things we’d recommend you do before installing iOS 14:
- Charge your iPhone – If it’s not convenient to have your phone on charge while performing the update, we’d recommend you have at least 75% battery charge available before attempting to install iOS 14.
- Connect to WiFi – Make sure you have a strong WiFi connection before trying to download the update.
- Make sure you have an up to date backup – iCloud is the most convenient option and most iPhone users will have iCloud enabled by default, so to create an up-to-date iCloud backup please follow the steps below. If you don’t want to use iCloud, you can backup your iPhone to a computer using iTunes. Apple have a step by step guide here if you need help: https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT203977#computer
- Connect your device to a Wi-Fi network.
- Go to Settings > [your name], and tap iCloud.
- Tap iCloud Backup.
- Tap Back Up Now. Stay connected to your Wi-Fi network until the process is complete.
You can check the progress and confirm whether the backup is complete. Go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud > iCloud Backup. Under Back Up Now, you’ll see the date and time of your last backup.
If you get an error staying you don’t have sufficient iCloud storage to complete the backup you can upgrade your storage plan by following the steps here: https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT204247
Downloading and Installing iOS 14
The update should be available to download from 10am PST, that’s 6pm BST, but it’s sometimes available earlier. Check to see if the update is ready to download by following the steps below:
- Go to Settings > General > Tap on ‘Software Update’
- Tap on ‘Download and Install’ Note: If your phone has already downloaded the update automatically it will just show ‘Install Now’.
- The phone will restart during the update process, so if your screen goes blank and you see an Apple logo and progress bar appear, don’t be alarmed it’s completely normal.
- Once the phone has restarted, follow any on screen prompts to finalise the install.
Note: If you see ‘Update Requested’ the phone is waiting to download the update. There’s likely to be high demand for the update on the first day, so don’t worry if the ‘update requested’ message stays there for a while. If it’s still showing the message after 30 mins, restart the phone and try again.
If you encounter an issue whilst updating your phone please refer to Apple’s support page here: https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT204204