Apple will release iOS 12 on Monday, September 17, which comes with major performance improvements, and new features such as Memoji, Screen Time, Siri Shortcuts, Group Notifications, and more.
How to Get Ready for iOS 12 Release
Here is a checklist to help prepare for iOS 12 release:
- 1. Check for Device Compatibility
- 2. Delete Unused Apps
- 3. Free Up Space
- 4. Install Latest App Updates
- 5. Update to Latest iTunes
- 6. Backup your iOS Device
1. Check for Device Compatibility
Before we start it is important to know if your iPhone or iPad supports iOS 12. iOS 12 supports the following devices:
- iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR, 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
- 12.9-inch iPad Pro 2nd generation, 12.9-inch iPad Pro 1st generation, 10.5-inch iPad Pro, 9.7-inch iPad Pro, iPad Air 2, iPad Air, iPad 5th generation, iPad mini 4, iPad mini 3, iPad mini 2
- iPod Touch 6th generation
iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max and iPhone XR will come pre-installed with iOS 12 when they go on sale on Friday, September 21, so you don’t need to worry about preparing for them.
2. Delete Unused Apps
A major OS upgrade is a good time to think over the apps you have installed, and delete ones that you hardly use. While you can always delete apps from your home screen, another way is to go to Settings > General > Storage & iCloud Usage> Manage Storage and then tap on the app you don’t need and hit “Delete App”. You will be able to see how much space is being occupied by the apps, so you can at least delete the ones that are taking up too much storage space.
3. Free Up Space
iOS 12 update will require at least 2GB of free space, so if you’re running low on free space on your iPhone or iPad, it might be a good idea to free up some space by deleting unwanted stuff from your device. You should have at least 2.5GB or more free space to be on the safe side.
Read: 15 Tips to Free up Storage Space on Your iPhone or iPad
4. Install Latest App Updates
App Developers have been working hard to get their apps ready for iOS 12. So don’t forget to install updates for the apps so that you can enjoy all the new iOS 12 features such as Siri Shortcuts, and you don’t face any issues.
5. Update to Latest iTunes
If you are planning to install iTunes to install the iOS 12, then make sure you’ve updated to the latest version of iTunes, iTunes 12.7 on your Mac or Windows PC. Please do remember that Apple has removed the App Store section from iTunes 12.8.
6. Backup your iOS Device
It is always a good idea to take a backup of your iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch before updating it with the latest iOS software update. (Note that if you choose to encrypt your backup using iTunes, along with normal data, secure information like passwords etc. are also backed up.)
You can back up your iOS device using iTunes or iCloud. If you need help then check out our step-by-step guides.
We recommend taking a backup of your iPhone or iPad using the iTunes method, as it will allow you to downgrade to iOS 10.3.3 if required.
Warning for Jailbreakers
If you have jailbroken your iOS device and cannot live without your favorite jailbreak apps and tweaks then it is recommended that you avoid updating to iOS 12, until a tool is released to jailbreak iOS 12. You can check our post to find the latest status of the iOS 11 jailbreak.
Read: iOS 12 Jailbreak Status
Ready to Install iOS 12
After you’ve followed the steps mentioned above, you should be ready to download and install iOS 12 as soon as it is available and discovering the new iOS 12 features.
iOS 12 will be available as an update via iTunes as well as an over-the-air update, which allows you to download iOS software updates (just incremental changes) without plugging your iOS device to the computer.
You can also update your iOS device to iOS 12 using iTunes by plugging it to your computer. If you want to jailbreak your device in the future, it is recommended to update via iTunes. We’ll be publishing direct download links as soon as they’re available.
Jailbreakers, note that if your device is jailbroken then OTA updates will be disabled, which is good if you plan to hold off updating, but if do want to upgrade, you’ll have to restore via iTunes.
It can take an hour or two to download and install an update, so don’t do it if you’re in a hurry. On the day of the release due to the surge in traffic, it could take even longer to download iOS 12. So you should do it when you have enough time.
iOS 12 Release Time
Apple should release iOS 12 at around 10 AM PST/1 PM EST. Since iOS 4 in 2010, Apple has released a major iOS software update at that time. If you’re wondering what time it will be released in your timezone then we’ve you covered. Check our post if you want to find out what time it may get released in your timezone.
The only piece of advice I would have is to wait for a day to install the update or at least not immediately after iOS 12 is released on Tuesday. There is usually a flood of users downloading a major iOS software update, which can slow down the download of the software update and at times has also caused major issues. So be patient and download the iOS 12 software update after the floor of requests has slowed down. It also gives you enough time to find out if there is a major issue with the update.
Please drop us a line if you’ve any questions.
